


Dusk till Dawn

by MorningEagle



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship/Love, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:22:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29282949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorningEagle/pseuds/MorningEagle
Summary: In an alternate universe, Primrose (Prim for short) is attending college with the familiar people of the Survey Corps. No Titans, no dangers; just the AoT characters in a modern life. There will be friendships, breakups, drama, heartache, love and everything inbetween.After her dad abandoned her and her younger brother, Prim has been helping her mom in any way possible. Her relationship with her family is very strong and the thought of leaving them for so long burdened her. After much resistance, she decided she'd take the leap and go to college after all. The friends she meets along the way makes her big move more bearable. But there isn't always a rainbow after the rain.P.SIf you haven't noticed, I'm a Reiner simp. Hope you like! <3 ^_^P.P.SI added a content warning after the upload of chapter 9. It is ONLY for chapter 9.
Relationships: Reiner Braun/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> I've decided to have a go at an AU fanfiction. I wanted to have fun with a story that isn't canon and is completely made up, especially since now we're not exactly sure how the real AoT will end. 
> 
> This will NOT include spoilers of any kind, this is an absolute safe space in that regard. There is a mature rating because I suspect there will be violence, other mature content and touchy subjects- which of course will have trigger warnings- in the future. 
> 
> This chapter felt kind of dragged out to me but I wanted to ensure I ended on a "familiar" note. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading!

The more I unpacked, the more I wondered if this was the right decision. Moving to a new city was one thing, but moving all by myself made the situation entirely different. 

I could have moved into a dorm, but the idea of sharing a space with a stranger for a set period of time wasn’t appealing to me. Obviously they wouldn’t be a stranger after a while, but you get the point. Mom was a little taken aback when I opted for my own little one bedroom apartment, but she eventually came around. The fact that the place was only a block from the college helped a lot. 

“Prim, don’t forget to keep your washer door open when you’re done with it. You don’t want mold.”

I looked over at Mom and saw her setting up detergent and dryer sheets in my laundry area. It was more like a tiny closet with a stacked washer and dryer crammed in, but it was only me anyway. I turned back to placing the few plants I had on my windowsill in the living room. 

“You seem to forget I’ve been doing my own laundry since I was 11.”

“I started teaching you when you were 11, I didn’t make you do it all on your own.” she scoffed. I couldn’t help but flinch; I guess I expected her to hit me with a towel but she wouldn’t want to unfold one just to hit me. 

She hit me.

“Mom!” I erupted in laughter. “Jeez Ma, you’re gonna knock my plants over.”

She folded the towel up nicely in seconds before walking back over to the laundry closet. “Don’t tell all your friends that I encouraged child labor when you were younger. They won’t want to meet me if you do.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Okay, I promise I’ll just tell them the good things.”

We bickered and worked on the apartment for another hour or so before everything was finally in place. Driving here from home was about a 3 hour drive, and we arrived just before noon. It was now 5 in the afternoon, and we were exhausted.

Both of us sat on the couch and stared out the window. The sun was still up, which was good. It made the mood a bit brighter, that’s for sure.

“Will you be staying the night, Mom?” I asked. Mom stretched before fixing her hair in a fresh ponytail. 

“Oh hun, as much as I’d love to, I can’t. Your brother’s soccer is starting in the morning and your dad can’t bring him.” She stood up now. “Besides, your aunt is probably wondering when I’ll be back so she can head out to the casino.”

I gritted my teeth. Dad. What’s a dad?

“The dude hasn’t been around for years. He’s a flop.”

“Primrose.”

She never did like it when I began to point out the obvious. The guy may have fathered us, but he’s the furthest thing from being a real dad. He walked out on us 4 years ago when I was 13 and has hardly been there for my little brother. I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees and rubbed my temples. A long sigh escaped me before I stood up; having a nice stretch of my own. 

“I hope Connor has a good first day at soccer. Tell him I love him and I’ll come visit once I have a schedule going.”

Mom smiled and walked over to me. She then proceeded to hug me so tight I could feel my arteries swelling. 

“Gods Mom, you’re gonna break me.” I wheezed. She laughed.

“Let me know how things go tomorrow, okay? And I mean it. Don’t tell any potential adopted kids of mine that I enforced child labor.”

“You mean potential friends?”

“Yes, potential adopted kids. You make friends, I adopt them in a non-traditional way.”

I laughed. She was right though; my friends back home would always love coming over. They loved Mom just as much as me. Besides, I’m sure knowing that I’d be making friends would ease her anxieties of me being away from home. I noticed her eyes begin to water as she went to grab her purse.

“Mom, are you crying?”

She wiped her eyes quickly and tried to laugh it off, but she wasn’t dumb. She knew I noticed and it probably didn’t make things any easier. 

“Prim, you realize this is a huge step, right? For both of us.” 

“I know, I-”

“All I can think of now is when I brought you home from the hospital for the first time. When I gave you your first bath. Oh! And when you pulled yourself up to the coffee table and started eating the chip dip right from the container.”

“Okay Mom,” I felt bad about cutting her off, but if she got any more carried away she’d surely be even more upset. “I get it. I’m your biggest baby and now I’m finally leaving the nest. I’ll be okay. And you’ll be okay, too.” I gave her another hug. “Now please go rescue Connor from the clutches of Aunt Jo or you’ll go back home to two gamblers.”

She laughed and hugged me back tight before making her way over to the door. She slipped on her runners and straightened out her shirt and looked at me. This time, I didn’t notice any tears. Good.

“Alright, I’ll call you when I get home.”

“Sounds good to me. Love you, Mom.”

“Love you too, Sweetie. Have a great day tomorrow, okay? And call me if you need anything, no matter the time.” 

~

Mom had been gone for about 45 minutes now. The sun started to go down and I only then realized how hungry I was. Mom helped me get some essentials, but after a day of moving and unpacking, I wasn’t up to making my first culinary mess just yet. Being close to campus, there must be tons of restaurants to go to. I figured why not? It would give me time to get used to the neighborhood a bit. 

I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my cross-body purse. After checking over myself in the mirror by the door and deeming myself publicly acceptable, I left my apartment.

Locking the door at this place hit differently. Was it because this is the first time I’m legitimately on my own? It felt nice. I felt a smile pull at my lips as I double checked the handle before walking down the few steps to the sidewalk. Technically, it was a row of townhouses but I still called it an apartment. I looked at all the other ones attached to my block and wondered how many were filled with students, and if there were any singles like me. The air was cool now that the sun wasn’t blaring from above. Even though evening was in its prime, the robins were singing nicely. Probably their last performance before they turned in for the night.

After walking for about ten minutes, I found myself at a main road that seemed to have all kinds of little shops. Some of them sold produce, others were clothing and nick nacks. Scattered throughout them were the odd places serving food and drink. Finally, I saw a little store tucked away between two produce markets. It turned out to be a small bakery and a sign was posted outside. 

“End of Day sale, 50% off. Hm? Maybe I’ll give them a try.”

Straightening myself out, I walked into the shop and heard the ding of the bell upon the door. Surprisingly there were a few people in here. I figured at this time of day, it wouldn’t be so busy. 

“Hey! What’s this stuff you put in the sandwich, Connie?” one of the girls yelled from her seat. She had brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and was going absolute ham on her sandwich. The guy behind the counter looked agitated as he finished up another order. 

“What stuff? The entire menu is on the damn thing, Sasha. You’re the one who ordered it!”

The girl continued eating her sandwich in complete bliss before the guy looked over at me. “Hey, come in! We’ve got a couple toppings and proteins left if you wanna have a sandwich made up.”

I felt the eyes of everyone turn to me then. It wasn’t just him and the girl, but also three other people. A taller guy with brown, messy hair. A blonde boy with his hair tied back, and a girl with black hair. They were all sitting at their own table and quickly resumed eating their own meals after giving me a quick look over. I walked over to the counter with a smile. 

“Sure, what have you got?”

“It’s all deli meats, we’ve got some smoked ham, sun dried tomato and herb chicken breast, black forest ham and your average smoked turkey. As for toppings, we have pretty much everything, surprisingly after Sasha’s order.” the last bit was very obviously exaggerated so that Sasha could hear. 

“Oh be quiet!” she exclaimed with her mouth full. 

“Sasha,” the girl with the black hair began. “ You shouldn’t talk with your mouth full.”

Sasha rolled her eyes and continued eating. 

“I’ll try the chicken with lettuce, tomato, hot peppers and red onions.” I said. 

“Awesome sauce, I’ll have that made up for you right now. Did you want any sauce with it?”

“Just mayo is fine. Can I also get a bottle of water?”

Sasha was at the counter now. “Water? Girl you’re out getting food. You can drink water from your tap at home, get a soft drink!”

“Sasha! Quit trying to guilt people into spending more money! It’s annoying!” The brown haired guy was making his way over now. His two friends followed behind him. 

I couldn’t help but let out a sheepish laugh. Surely, they all knew each other. Right?

“Uhh...yeah, you do have a point. Sasha, right?”

She perked up and smiled. “Yeah! Don’t worry, we’re all friends here.”

At that moment, I noticed the brown haired guy cover his face with his hands. “Sasha, this is how you scare people away, not befriend them.”

“Why do you say that, Eren? She seems fine to me.” Sasha retorted before turning back to the counter. “Connie! Get our new friend a cream soda. The fancy kind, not with the pink dye in it.” Sasha turned to me. “Trust me, it’s soooooooo good!”

I couldn’t help but laugh a little. It was then that the blonde haired guy came over. “I’m sorry, everyone just kind of ambushed you without introducing themselves.”

“What?!” exclaimed the brown haired guy. “Sasha was the one who came over here, I just told her to leave the girl alone!”

“My name is Armin.” he completely ignored his friend. “That’s Eren, this is Mikasa, and you’ve met Connie and Sasha.”

“Oh, hey. Nice to meet you all.” I said as I gave them each a smile. “My names Primrose, but everyone just calls me Prim for short.”

Everyone smiled back, except for Mikasa. She seemed a little skeptical of me, but oddly enough she was the first one to speak. “Primrose. That’s a pretty name.”

“Haha, thanks.” I replied.

“Are you here for school, too?” Armin asked.

“Yeah, I just moved here today. I’m about a block from the school so it shouldn’t be too bad. Tomorrow is gonna be fun.” I said the last part with a little laugh. Armin seemed to beam up; his eyes widening with the news.

“Oh neat! We’re starting tomorrow, too. What are you taking?”

Just then, Connie came back to the counter with a freshly made sandwich and a soft drink. I excused myself with Armin and pulled out my wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

“For a new friend, it’s on the house!”

I felt my cheeks flush when he said that. “Oh, I-” a little embarrassed, I looked over at everyone. They were all smiling now and rearranging the tables and chairs so that we’d all have room to sit. Before I could protest, Connie dashed around the counter and turned the sign on the door from Open to Closed. He locked the door quickly and made his way over to the table. 

“Hey, thanks.” I said as I walked over. “That’s so kind!” I took a seat next to Connie and Armin. Connie grinned and sat back while letting out a big stretch. 

“No problem. I’ve got a few minutes before the boss comes back to close up, so why don’t we get to know you a bit? Maybe you’ll have the same classes as some of us!”

I smiled and pulled my chair closer to the table before taking a sip of my drink. “I’d love that.” Sasha really wasn’t kidding; the drink is pretty good. 

Mom will be happy to know I’ve already made friends before the first day of school. Maybe this college thing won’t be so bad after all.


	2. It Has Begun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the first day of college is here. Prim and her new friends start off their day trying out a "lovely" tea shop before heading to their classes. After getting separated during a presentation for new students, Prim becomes acquainted with two more people. One of them seems to have a knack for making her feel a certain type of way. Annoyed? Nervous? Eager? First day shenanigans don't help Prim's anxiety, and when she thinks she finally got away, there he was again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Chapter 2 of my modern Attack on Titan AU. I hope you enjoy!

It was finally the first day of college.

My alarm went off bright and early at 5:45. I usually don’t get up until 7:30-8:00, but I didn’t want to risk being late for the first day. First things first, I needed to shower. I appreciated the fact there was a window in the bathroom which I ended up cracking in order to prevent too much steam inside. It was also nice to have the natural light and the sound of the birds creep in every now and then.

After my shower, I went down to the kitchen to prepare some tea. I was never really big on breakfast, but managed to prepare a slice of toast with butter and strawberry jam. Besides, I was too antsy to enjoy a big breakfast just yet. Once my tea was finished, I sat down at my little table by the window and opened it; now the birds were getting louder. I could definitely get used to this.

Once I was finished with breakfast, I made sure my bag was all good to go. Everything I needed was tucked away in a navy blue galaxy print backpack. It was then that I realized I may have gotten up a little too early since now, there was literally nothing to do. Suddenly, my phone dinged. 

“Huh...oh, it’s Armin.” I opened the message and smiled. 

_Armin: Goodmorning, Prim! I just wanted to see if you still wanted to head over to the tea shop before class today? We’ll be leaving in about 30._

_Me: Good morning Armin! Sure. I just had a tea, but I’ll def come by for the walk._

_Armin: Great! We can meet you at your place if you’d like?_

_Me: Sounds good to me, c ya!_

“What a great guy.” I muttered to myself as I checked my bag, yet again. 

Time passed pretty quickly after that. I ended up sitting outside on the steps and waited for everyone to arrive. Soon enough, 7 AM rolled around and I could see the group approaching. 

“PRIM!” I heard Sasha exclaim. She bolted to the bottom of the steps and had the biggest smile. “Are you ready? Let’s go!”

“Yes, I’m ready. What tea shop are we going to?” I asked as I stepped onto the sidewalk. 

“It’s a little shop around the same place we went to yesterday. It’s called Freedom Tea.”

Connie walked by slowly with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. How he managed to do that beats me. “It’s pretty good. They’ve got some breakfast items, too.”

Sounded good enough to me. Before we started our trek over there, I noticed the group was a bit short. “Hey, where’s Eren and Mikasa? Aren’t they coming?”

“Oh,” Armin began before shifting his bag on his shoulder. “They’re just going to meet us at the college later. Eren sleeps in.”

Connie turned around now and looked at the others while walking backwards. “Yeah, and Mikasa is attached to his hip so wherever he is, she’s there, too.”

“Huh, okay then. Are they dating, or-” I was cut off by Sasha laughing. 

“No! Oh no, no. But I bet you Mikasa wishes they were.” Sasha earned a laugh from Connie but this obviously made Armin a bit uncomfortable. His face got a little flushed before he spoke. 

“Hey, you don’t know that! Let’s just head to the tea shop. If we keep this up, we’ll be late to class.”

It was entertaining to watch and listen to the exchanges among them. They’re a pretty solid group of friends and I’m very glad I managed to meet them literally the day before classes started. Honestly, if I hadn’t met anyone, it would have made the transition harder. Based on our conversations yesterday, it’s only Armin and I that are taking a majority of courses together. We’re both studying Astrology, Geography and Earth Sciences. I’ve got to say, I’m looking forward to it. Everyone else is taking other things but it’s not like we won’t be able to meet up after class. The only thing I find a bit odd is that Eren and Mikasa are literally taking the exact same classes at the exact same times...I can’t help but feel suffocated a bit just at the thought of it. Oh well. I’m sure they’ll be fine.

The walk to the shops seemed quicker this time. Eventually, we found ourselves at Freedom Tea. Once we walked inside, I couldn’t help but notice how pristine everything was. Everyone else made their way to the counter while I continued to look around. The entire place was dimly lit except for the centre, which was illuminated by a skylight. It was actually quite nice at this time of day and gave everything a beautiful peach hue. The shelves were stocked neatly with boxes of tea that were organized by style: oolong, black, green, herbal, and the like. Other shelves had fancy cups and saucers, tea pots and other beautiful items. It was actually really cozy if I do say so myself.

Suddenly, a voice called out from the doors behind the counter. 

“Don’t touch anything, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Taken aback by the comment, I turned and looked at everyone who was at the counter. They were all looking among themselves and shrugged. It didn’t take long before a man walked out of the doors and up to the counter. He was wearing a white scarf tucked into his collar, a white dress shirt with his cuffs rolled up to his elbows, and black dress pants. He also had a bandana wrapped around his head, probably to keep his hair in place. His expression was...uninviting. 

“What do you want?” his voice was monotonous. 

Connie’s eyebrows furrowed and his cheeks reddened. “We just want to get some tea before we head to class, you gonna serve us or is there another employee who’s not so-” Armin pulled Connie back and hushed him before looking at the man at the counter. 

“Sorry about that! What my friend means to say is that we would like to purchase some tea before we head to class.”

Without flinching or breaking eye contact with Connie, the man at the counter spoke. “You sure? He sounded like he wanted to be kicked out.”

Before Connie could reply, I walked up. “I mean, you did come off as a bit callous. Maybe you should be a bit more welcoming to your customers.”

He turned to me, his expression never changing. By now, he had his arms crossed infront of him. “You’re a bunch of college kids. If anything, I should be making you clean up before you leave.”

Okay, obviously this guy has had issues in the past. “Clean what? Our footprints?”

“Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. Are you going to buy some tea, or not?”

“Tch, let’s just go.” Connie hissed. 

At that moment, we heard the door chime as someone else walked in. It was a taller man this time with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a dress shirt and dress pants as well. He carried a small briefcase in one hand and gently closed the door behind him with the other. 

“Ah Levi, I hope you’re not giving my potential students a hard time again.” said the blonde man. The guy at the counter, who I now presume is Levi, rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms.

“Now why would I do that?”

Connie took this moment to express his anger that was suppressed for the past 4 minutes. “He was! All we wanted was some tea but he just wanted to be a prick.”

“Connie!” Armin hissed. 

“What? It’s true. We all saw it.”

Expecting the older men to get aggravated, the blonde one ended up chuckling softly to himself. He gave his head a quick shake before looking over at Levi who, at that moment, was sanitizing his hands. He sighed before turning back to us. 

“Please, forgive Levi. He’s always been this way, ever since I met him. But I promise there’s a teddy bear under all that armour.”

“Ugh, spare me.” Levi grumbled before waving us back over to the counter. Sasha was the first in line and began her order. 

“My name is Erwin Smith, I’m a professor at the college.” the blonde man said. “I’m assuming you are all starting today, right?”

Armin seemed more relaxed now and turned to Erwin. “Yeah, we are! Nice to meet you Mr.Smith. What subject do you teach?”

“I run the Police Foundations and Community Justice programs. Pretty heavy stuff, but all of the kids I’ve taught have been phenomenal.”

“Oh! Two of our friends are taking both of those courses, actually. You’ll see them today.” Armin chimed. He must have been talking about Mikasa and Eren.

As they continued their conversation, I patiently waited my turn to order. It was 7:15 now. We had 45 minutes until classes started, so this wasn’t too bad. 

“Hey, are you going to order or continue breathing my air?”

I snapped out of my thoughts and realized Levi was talking to me. Breathing his air?

“Sorry, I was just thinking about what to get.”

“I can get you tap water if you’d rather that. I’d still charge you though.”

“For what? The tap water?”

“The freshly made ice. And the cup.”

I couldn’t help but giggle a bit. This Levi guy was quite the character. I must’ve offended him because for the first time since we got there, he didn’t look so malicious. 

“I’ll take a medium earl grey with cream and sugar, please.”

“Anything else?” he asked as he typed it into the monitor. 

“No thanks, just the tea.”

“That’ll be $3.50.”

I handed him a $5 bill and ended up putting the change in the tip container as he handed me my tea. “Thanks, Levi.” I smiled and turned to walk away. I noticed he was staring at the tip container for a few seconds before he turned around to make another order. I assumed it was for Professor Erwin since everyone else got what they wanted. I walked over to the group who was conversing with the professor as they waited for me. 

“I’m ready.”

“Oh nice! What did you get?” Sasha asked as she got closer. She ended up sniffing my cup which I couldn’t help but laugh at.

“I got an earl grey with cream and sugar.”

“You know,” she said. “They call that a London Fog. No wonder why, but it’s nice! Good choice.”

The professor cleared his throat. “Alright, you should all start heading to the college now. It was nice meeting you. Have a good first day, and remember...Levi is harmless, he just barks a lot.”

“Bye Levi!” Connie cooed as we left the shop. I rolled my eyes with a grin before taking a sip of my tea. I already knew he was gonna be the class clown. The tea was pretty good, too. 

Once we got to the college, we noticed quite a number of students huddled about in their own cliques. I could feel the anxiety building again, and I think Connie noticed. 

“Hey, you okay Prim?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. First days are always the hardest.”

Armin nodded in agreeance. “But it’s okay, we’re not the only ones having our first day. I’m sure today will go by smoothly.”

It was then that we heard a voice call to us from behind. “HEY GUYS!”

I turned and saw Eren running up to us with Mikasa close behind him. We all greeted them as they approached. 

“What did you guys get?” Eren asked inquisitively. 

“Just some tea,” I replied. “From a shop close to the deli that Connie works at.”

“Yeah,” Connie began. “And the owner’s a dick.”

Armin sighed. “I’m sure he’s fine, he just needs to warm up to us, that’s all.”

“Yeah, even the professor reassured us.” Sasha replied. “Oh yeah! The professor who came into the tea shop is actually yours and Mikasa’s for Police Foundations and Community Justice.”

I noticed Eren’s eyes widen when Sasha told him that. “Really? Does he seem alright?”

I nodded. “Yeah, he seems nice. I’m sure you’ll get along great.”

We stayed chatting outside like that for what felt like only seconds before we noticed everyone starting to head inside. We ended up following close behind and then realized that the new students actually had to attend a presentation in the auditorium. Among the shuffling and hundreds of voices bouncing around the halls, I could very faintly make out a loud voice coming from somewhere in the distance. As we neared the course, I realized it was one of the professors of the college. They stood up on a chair and, with waving arms, directed the new students to where they needed to go. Their hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and they had glasses. Their voice was incredibly loud and energetic; perfect for the first day.

“WELCOME, WELCOME! HELLO NEW STUDENTS! WE’RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE! KEEP FOLLOWING THE ARROWS ON THE WALL TO THE AUDITORIUM FOR A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION FROM THE STAFF AND FACULTIES.”

For some reason, I was beginning to feel like I was in highschool all over again. I mean, it wasn’t a bad thing. If anything, it made this first day a bit more bearable and less intimidating. I did my best to ensure I didn’t stray too far from my group, but much to my dismay, I ended up getting lost in the waves of students around me. I guess this is what I get for being short.

I eventually made my way into the auditorium. Students were flooding in and I found myself desperately searching for my friends among the rows and rows of people seated. When I did find them, the seats around them were already filled. I sighed and accepted my first college defeat. I scanned the room quickly and found a row closer to the back that was hardly filled. I wanted to limit my chances of mingling with anyone else, at least for the time being. Besides, if anyone saw someone sitting so far away, it’s obvious they don’t want to talk. Right?

I pulled on the seat and sat down. It was surprisingly comfortable; at least these chairs were cushioned, unlike the ones at my highschool. I placed my bag between my feet and got comfortable while I waited for everyone to be seated. I pulled out my phone and started playing a game. 

“Let’s sit here.” I heard someone close to me say. The voice dragged me from my thoughts and I looked to my left to see who it was. Two guys started walking down the row of seats that I was in. As quickly as I looked at them, I turned away hoping to not make any eye contact. Of all the seats to choose from, it had to be one in my aisle? I felt myself tense up but just pushed the thoughts aside. Surely they’d leave a chair or two inbetween us. 

As they sat down, I could feel one of them brush their elbow against my upper arm. 

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to do that.”

I looked over and noticed them both staring at me. The one directly next to me had blonde hair, and the other had black hair. Both were fairly tall, but the blonde was quite burley. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up on the football team or something relatable. 

“Uh, it’s okay.” I muttered as I inched a little to the right, turning my attention back to my phone. I could feel his eyes on me still and when the feeling wouldn’t go away, I looked back. He just grinned and sat back in the chair before turning to his friend. They started talking amongst themselves and that was enough to give me a bit of a mental break. The anxiety was real and growing...I couldn’t wait to just be on my way to my classes. 

After a few minutes, I could feel the guy next to me shift positions. He had sat on the edge of his seat and turned towards me which brought me out of my game again. I looked at him and raised a questioning eyebrow. He held out his hand to me and grinned.

“The name’s Reiner.”

I hesitated before reaching out and shaking hands. “Primrose. But people call me Prim.”

“Primrose, eh. That’s a nice name.” he said as he let go of my hand. 

I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks flush. “Thank you. Who’s your friend?”

“Oh, this guy? Ah, no one.”

Just then, I saw the black haired guy lurch forward on his seat so he could see me from beyond Reiner’s form. “Not no one. My name’s Bertholdt. You can just call me Bert if it’s easier.”

Bertholdt seemed sweet. I smiled. “Nice to meet you guys.” I couldn’t help but notice the permanent shit-eating grin on Reiner’s face. Was he always like this? 

“So,” Reiner began. “Have you made any friends yet? Other than us, of course.”

“I didn’t realize we were friends yet?” I retorted. Bertholdt held in a laugh before sitting back in his chair. I saw his eyebrows raise in amusement as Reiner was left to take the blow by himself.

“Ouch.” he said as he raised his right hand to the left side of his chest. “That hurt.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “My apologies.” With a click, I turned my phone screen off and tucked it into my back jean pocket. “To answer your question, yes, I have some friends. We got separated in the massive flood on our way to the auditorium. It was pretty brutal.”

“Ah...I see. Well, good thing Berty and I are here now. We’ve rescued you from eternal solitude.”

Did this guy really use my own humor towards me? I took a quick swig of my tea before nodding slowly. 

“Yeah, good thing.”

It was then that we heard the ear piercing tap of the microphone as it was tested for use. The same professor who was directing us in the hall was up on the stage testing the mic. And now, I have been saved yet again. 

As the presentation started, I used this time to completely zone out onto what was going on on the stage. Although, no matter how hard I tried to block it out, I couldn’t help but notice the burning feeling that someone was watching me. When the lights dimmed in order to get ready for a powerpoint presentation, I looked beside me and noticed Reiner sitting back in his seat, elbow resting on the arm of the chair and his hand positioned casually infront of his mouth. I was right. 

He was staring at me.

~

After the presentation, we were all ushered out of the auditorium row by row. I purposefully stayed behind as the crowd moved out so that I could wait for my friends. It didn’t take long until I heard Sasha shriek over the crowd. 

“PRIM, THERE YOU ARE!”

“Hey Sasha!” I called out. Once we were all accounted for, we left the auditorium together. 

“Where did you go?” Eren asked as we finally had a little space to breathe. 

“I got swarmed in the hall before we got to the auditorium doors and I was too late finding you guys. I ended up sitting a few rows back.” I explained as I placed my backpack over my shoulder. “Anyways, what classes do you all have first?”

“Mikasa and I have Police Foundations first.” Eren said. 

Armin perked up. “I’ve got Museum studies, so I should probably head over there now. I’ll see you guys later!”

“All morning I’m in the culinary program.” Connie said. “I better go, too. I probably have to wash up before we start.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “And you, Sasha?”

“Outdoor education, for me!” She exclaimed. “I’ll see you guys at lunch.”

And just like that, my friends dispersed. I sighed before looking at my schedule. According to it, my first class should be Radio Broadcasting.

It took about five minutes to find the classroom. Once I got to the door, I hesitated for a moment. The door was closed and I just knew everyone was already in there. After I gathered my courage, I knocked on the door firmly. I could hear heels clacking their way over to the door before it swung open. I was met with a pair of very bougie eyes and hair that probably had 12 cans of spray in it for the day. 

“Ah, you must be Primrose.” she said as she backed up from the door. “I’m Mrs.Williams. Come on, in.There’s a seat left in the back, if you’d like. Unless you want to sit up close.”

“Oh, I’m okay in the back. I concentrate better that way.” I said softly before adjusting my bag on my shoulder. As Mrs. Williams walked over to her desk to mark me in, I glanced at the class. Some were staring at me, some were looking down at their phones. Others were reading through papers that were presented on their desks beforehand. I searched for some familiar faces but found none. It wasn’t until I finally reached the back of the class that I felt my stomach sink. 

There he was. With all his shit-eating grin glory and his arm around the back of the empty chair next to him. 

“Hey Primrose. Sitting down?”

“...hey, Reiner.”


	3. Paparazzi, Growth and Creeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sense of normalcy is starting to set into Prim's life. Her classes are going well, she's obtained a part time job and her relationships with her friends are growing. After getting to know Reiner, she came to find out that he's not that terrible to be around after all. Just as soon as things started to iron out, a few wrenches are thrown in her path. Between weird happenings at home and uncomfortable scenarios at school; who is the weird figure stalking her around campus, and why does the new girl in class give her weird vibes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3! Please enjoy. :) I'm having too much fun writing this out and I hope at least one person is enjoying it as much as I am.

I couldn’t help the grin that took over my face as I walked up to the seat next to Reiner. I placed my bag down beside the desk and took my seat before removing my sweater and letting it drape over the back of the chair; his arm never leaving. 

“Fancy seeing you in radio broadcasting.” I began, hoping to break the awkward feeling between us. It’s possible I was just overreacting too and that he didn’t find anything awkward about this at all. 

“Yeah, well...I’ve been told I have the voice of a Greek God, so I figured I’d take this so I could lull the entire college to sleep.” he replied. I could hear the smirk on his lips as he spoke. “But also, I just needed to pick one more course in order to make my status full-time. You?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You really think highly of yourself, huh?” I asked as I turned to face him. He just shrugged and smiled as innocently as he could. “As for me, it’s pretty much the same. I just needed a space to fill and this seemed the less stressful out of what was offered.”

“Fair enough.” he finally removed his arm from the back of my chair and sat up straight. “And to answer your question…” he rested his elbow on the desk and faced me now. I noticed then what a nice shade of hazel his eyes were. _Ugh, stop it Prim. It’s your first day. _“I’m just confident in my ability to get people to like me.”__

__My eyes stayed locked on his for a moment as I tried to see if he was being serious or not. When he noticed I was literally dumbfounded, he flashed me another grin before letting out a chuckle. “What’s the matter?”_ _

__I just shook my head and smiled. “Nothing, you’re just extremely forward.”_ _

__“How so?”_ _

__“I don’t know, maybe how you first assumed we were friends after 20 seconds of meeting. Now you’re flirting and we just got to our first period.”_ _

__“You think I’m flirting?” He was definitely enjoying this._ _

__“I know you are because no one is this forward and conceited without trying to make themselves look appealing to someone else.”_ _

__He made an ‘O’ shape with his mouth and took his elbow off the desk. I watched as he raised his hand up to rub the back of his head before he started stretching his arms. Once he was finished, he slumped back into his chair and looked at me again. “So, am I appealing?”_ _

__I laughed at that. “You’re such a hound!” The best part was that, contrary to what I thought he would do, he ended up laughing as well. For some reason I had expected him to keep it up but it was almost as if he broke character in that very moment. Eventually we settled down; we didn’t want to get in our professor’s bad books on the first day. Reiner reached down and grabbed a notebook from his bag and opened it up._ _

__“Sorry, heh. I just like to goof around.” he turned to look at me. “Don’t be afraid to tell me to piss off if I push a boundary. Okay?”_ _

__He seemed pretty genuine with that comment and I actually appreciated it a lot. It helped ease most of the tension I felt. Of course, my guard wasn’t going to completely go down, but I ended up smiling back at him and settled back into my chair. “Alright.”_ _

__It was then that something caught my eye. I noticed in the row across from Reiner, there was a girl who sat there and she had her phone facing us. I swear I heard a shutter sound before she quickly retreated into her personal bubble and typed furiously away on her phone. Reiner took notice of my staring and turned to see what I was looking at. “What happened?” he asked as he turned back to me._ _

__“I think that girl next to you just snapped a picture of us. Is that normal around here?”_ _

__“Tch, no. But don’t worry about it. She’s probably just mad I scored the best desk buddy in the room.” his voice got louder with every word and his head rolled back to look at the girl across from him. I watched her turn back to look at him and her face flushed in embarrassment._ _

__I felt like there was something he wasn’t telling me, but I didn’t want to push it. I just trusted him when he said not to worry about it. It didn’t take long for the class to finally start and we all ended up too busy wrapped up in introductions and what not. Soon enough, we started wrapping up things in preparation for our next classes. I started to put my books and papers away and stood up before placing my backpack over my shoulder. Reiner got up quickly and just tossed everything in his bag carelessly. It was almost like he was napping the entire time and didn’t realize we were getting ready to leave until the last minute._ _

__“Hey,” he said as he walked around the desk to stand next to me. “It was nice getting to know you a bit today. See you around outside of class?”_ _

__“Uh...sure, I guess? If you want?”_ _

__He smiled sheepishly. “I mean, you don’t have to. I guess I’m just trying to say that I’d like to.”_ _

__“Okay then.” I said with a small smile. “If I see you around, I’ll come say hi. Maybe I’ll see you at lunch?”_ _

__“Yeah, maybe. See you later, Primrose.” he said calmly before taking off to his next class. I watched him as he left the class and let out a sigh once I saw him out of sight. Before I left, I turned around to check my desk to make sure I didn’t forget anything. Then I noticed her again with her phone up and facing me. I immediately got agitated and walked over to her. She slowly put her phone in her pocket and picked up her bag, which was literally just a purse._ _

__“Can I help you? Is there a reason you were taking photos of me during class?”_ _

__“What are you talking about?” she asked, stupidly. She knew she was caught and was just playing dumb, but I wasn’t falling for it._ _

__“I know you were taking pictures, I heard the shutter go off. And here you are again; what’s the deal?”_ _

__“You really don’t know?”_ _

__“Uh, duh, that’s why I’m asking! Delete the photos of me. This isn’t fucking highschool. Grow up.”_ _

__“It won’t do anything, they’ve already been sent.”_ _

__This idiot. “So you did take pictures of me. You just admitted it.”_ _

__She rolled her eyes and clicked her teeth. “All I’m saying is if I were you, I wouldn’t get caught up with him.”_ _

__My brows furrowed together in confusion. “Are you talking about Reiner?”_ _

__

__“Uh, duh.” she retorted using my own words against me. “Who else?”_ _

__“Why shouldn’t I? He seems like a nice guy.”_ _

__“Yeah, a nice guy. But with baggage. And trust me honey, you don’t want it.”_ _

__I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “We just started talking. It’s the first day of classes and you’re making it seem like we’re dating.”_ _

__“Just put up some walls. That’s all I’m saying.” those were her last words before she made her way to the door. I watched her as she walked out; she stopped at the door to give me one last glance before disappearing. How aggravating._ _

__I finally started making my way to my next class. I couldn’t help but get angry. My day actually started to go nicely until she opened her big mouth. No, until she started taking photos of me. Now all I thought about was why she took the photos and who she sent them to._ _

__~_ _

__The next few weeks went by nicely. Every morning, my friends and I stopped by the tea shop before class. Turns out Professor Erwin convinced Levi to hire some students to help upkeep the shop, so I ended up getting a part time job there. So far, it’s me and Mikasa. Levi was hesitant because he didn’t think we’d be able to keep the place clean which is why he only offered part time. I wasn’t complaining though, at least it was a job. Some nights we’d go see Connie at work and grab sandwiches for lunch the next day. If it wasn’t Connie working, it was another one of their friends named Jean. I noticed some tension between him and Eren, but they tried to be civil especially when Mikasa was around. She had a knack for putting them in their place if they ever acted up, which was quite amusing. Reiner and I ended up becoming pretty good friends; I actually looked forward to the first period because of him. He made class more entertaining and lively and he was pretty smart, too. He liked to write little notes to me while the teacher lectured; mostly drawings that mocked her ridiculous hair, but other times he’d ask where I’d be going for lunch and what I’d be doing between classes. Turns out, he knew everyone already. All of them grew up together and have been in the same school since JK. Very quickly, my humble group of friends grew some more and we all found ourselves spending lots of time together. It felt like my life was coming together nicely; a solid group of friends, a nice job and school._ _

__It was time to get ready for another day. It was mid October now so the leaves were beginning to change. This was my absolute favourite time of year. I loved the crisp fall air, the colours, the clothes, anything seasonal...it was so lovely. I found I woke up better during this time of year, too. It wasn’t too hot, wasn’t too cold, and it wasn’t wet outside. It was the absolute perfect time to have the windows open all day, every day._ _

__Now that I developed more of a schedule, I wouldn’t get up so early. It was 6:30 and I got up to quickly have a shower and freshen up. I quickly washed my hair and lathered myself up before grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste. I found it more convenient to brush in the shower, especially in the morning when I was in a rush. Once I was done, I turned off the water and opened the curtain to retrieve my towel._ _

__“Huh...it’s gone.” I muttered to myself. I could’ve sworn I had a towel here before I got in. I grumbled a bit to myself and wrung my hair out a bit more to lessen the chance of dragging an entire lake through my apartment. Of all things, my bathroom did not have a shelf; all of my linens were kept in my room. I took a deep breath and started making my way to my room. It was then that I regretted having the windows open; it was SO incredibly cold. I quickly opened my closet and grabbed a towel to start drying myself off. It was very clear to me that this was my own space I was in, but I still felt weird about being butt naked and running around. Even though there were no rear neighbors that could look in, I still felt like I was being watched. I shrugged it off though; it was probably only because I don’t usually walk around my house naked._ _

__Once I was dressed, I walked over to my dresser to start combing out my hair but noticed my comb was missing._ _

__“Damnit, today is just not my day.”_ _

__I looked in my drawers, on the floor, under my dresser and even in my dirty laundry hamper but I couldn’t find the comb. I rolled my eyes and settled for just putting on my eyeliner before heading downstairs in defeat. Since I was so annoyed, I just decided to head over to the tea shop on my own that morning. I sent Armin a quick text letting him know I was already heading there before finally leaving for the day._ _

__The walk didn’t feel like it took long at all. By the time I made it there, it was 7:15 on the dot. Levi had the door propped open to air out the shop from being locked up all night. As I walked in, he was sweeping the floor around the counter._ _

__“Good morning, Levi.” I said as cheerfully as I could._ _

__“‘Morning, brat. Same old?” his tone was never changing, and he never took his attention away from sweeping._ _

__“I suppose. I figured you’d have more seasonal drinks at this time of year.” I made myself sound a bit disappointed. I’ve been bugging him for a little while now to introduce new drinks in an attempt to attract more customers. Don’t get me wrong, people like tea, but they also like other things._ _

__“What do I look like, a billion dollar franchise with limitless resources?”_ _

__“No, but you don’t need to be a billionaire in order to introduce a few new drinks to your menu. My offer still stands, Levi. Give me a week to show you that people love bubble tea and seasonal drinks and if you like it, you can keep it. And I’ll never bug you again.”_ _

__“If I make you your tea for free today, will you shut up?”_ _

__I giggled. “Fine.”_ _

__He’s like a grumpy old man. He does come off as an asshole sometimes, but he means well._ _

__Suddenly the bell chimed and everyone started to pour in. Levi swiftly dumped the dust pan into the garbage and put the broom against the wall before going around the counter to wash his hands. “I told the big brat I’d make her drink first, so you’ll all have to wait.”_ _

__I saw Armin and Eren walk up to the counter looking happy; smiles spread on their faces. “Good morning.” they said in unison._ _

__“Good morning, guys.” I replied. I noticed Sasha and Connie slowly dragging themselves through the door; I take it they didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Mikasa followed close behind them. I noticed Reiner and Bertholdt weren’t with them today. “Are the other guys not making it today or…?”_ _

__“I don’t think so,” Armin began. “Bertholdt came down with a cold and Reiner has tryouts this morning.”_ _

__I forgot Reiner was thinking of joining the football team. Either that or I didn’t realize how fast time seemed to be passing since the first day. Levi cleared his throat and placed my tea on the counter._ _

__“There you go. Who’s next?”_ _

__Mikasa ushered Connie and Sasha towards the counter promptly. “These two need caffeine. They’re moving like slugs this morning.”_ _

__“Mikasa,” Sasha whined. “Just let us sit down!”_ _

__“It’s not my fault you two stayed up playing video games all night.”_ _

__I giggled a bit at the exchange before taking a seat by the window. Armin and Eren came to sit with me while they waited for the counter to be free. I took a sip of my tea and closed my eyes. It helped savour the taste a bit longer; at least to me._ _

__“So,” I began. “Does Bertholdt need anything? Is he okay?”_ _

__“He’s fine.” Eren said as he leaned back in the chair, stretching his arms up and out. “It’s just a cold.”_ _

__“Oh, okay.”_ _

__After we got our drinks, we all mingled a little bit and chatted while we finished off our cups. Levi just kept wiping the counters down and was waiting patiently for us to leave so he could wipe down our table._ _

__“Alright Levi, we’ll get out of your hair now. Do you still want me here after class?” I asked as I put my backpack over my shoulder. Levi leaned against the counter and crossed his arms._ _

__“Not today, I have an appointment at 3:45 and it’s out of town. I’m just going to close early.”_ _

__“Okay then. Well, see you tomorrow. Thanks for the tea.”_ _

__Everyone else said their farewells before heading outside. The sun was out a little more and the birds were beginning to sing more loudly. Did I ever mention that I love fall?_ _

__By the time we reached the college, it was 7:45. We had about a half hour before we had to be at our first periods. When we reached the field, I couldn’t help but notice everyone out and about on the football field. I then remembered that Reiner was trying out right now. A little curious, I looked to see what my friends were doing before heading over to the bleachers. There were other students there already, so I didn’t feel too weird. I found a spot 3 rows up and sat down. There were a lot of people trying out today, but they were all in the uniform so it made spotting anyone a bit difficult. I turned around to see where everyone was and saw that they were still huddled where I left them. However, from the corner of my eye, I noticed someone really strange. Someone was just standing behind the bleachers and wore sunglasses. Whoever it was was facing the bleachers and I had a hard time telling if they were watching the tryouts or watching one of us. I turned back to face the field and shook my head. There were definitely some weird people on campus. Looking out into the field now, I saw that the people were starting to take off the uniform in order to get ready to go in. One by one, they all took their helmets off and it was then that I noticed Reiner amongst them. I could see him smiling from where I sat and I actually found myself getting excited. As he made his way over to the sidelines to take the rest of his garb off, I could feel my cheeks flush. While taking off the jersey and shoulder pads, his undershirt stuck to them and rode up his chest which showed off his muscular form. Once he dropped it to the ground, he grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled it up even more so he could wipe the sweat from his face. I’m not one to really gawk, but I felt as though I would definitely need help scraping my jaw off the bleachers. Soon enough, he pulled his undershirt down and turned to grab his bag. As he straightened himself out, he looked towards the bleachers and saw me sitting there. Of course._ _

__“Shit.” I cursed under my breath. I ended up smiling and waving at him. Nothing was weird about me watching the tryouts, right? I was just there for moral support, even if he didn’t know it._ _

__His smile beamed and he started making his way over to me. I took this moment to get myself down from the bleachers so I could meet him on the ground. Once he was close enough, he held a big sweaty arm out to me and pulled me in for a half hug. “Aw, came to see me try out?”_ _

__“Ugh, Reiner you’re so gross!” I tried wriggling out of his grasp but it only made him drop his bag and envelop me in a full on, sweaty bear hug._ _

__“But you love it!”_ _

__“Get real!” I laughed. “I came to watch your tryout, yes. Not get smothered and greased up like a Christmas Turkey.”_ _

__He let me go and laughed as he grabbed his bag again. “I better go shower before I get to class. I don’t want you to ditch me for someone not so sweaty.”_ _

__I smiled. “Yeah, I guess you better. How’d it go, anyway?”_ _

__“Pretty good.” He said; his eyebrows raised in excitement. “The coach likes me. I think I’ll get in.”_ _

__“Me too,” I agreed. “I’m sure you will. Well, I’ll let you go get washed up. If you stink even the faintest, I’m gonna have to replace you.”_ _

__“Nope, won’t happen. I’ll see you in class.” he said with a grin before taking off towards the gym doors. I was pretty pleased that they were all given the opportunity to shower up before starting classes today._ _

__I turned and made my way towards the front of the school and as I did, I noticed him again. The weird hooded figure. This time, he was leaning against a wall and he was definitely facing me. I slowed down my walking pace and tried my best to discreetly keep my eye on him. His head followed me as I moved past him, and when I sped up, so did he. I started feeling intensely uncomfortable and I ended up jogging over to my friends. Thank God they were still standing around._ _

__“Hey guys!” I yelled, hoping that the weird person would go away knowing someone I knew was around. Eren turned and looked at me before waving me over._ _

__“Hey Prim, hurry up! We gotta get to class!” he watched as I ran up now, out of breath. “Hey, you alright?”_ _

__“There’s a guy over there,” I started in a hushed tone. “He keeps staring at me...he’s creeping me out. He’s standing behind the wall. I went to go watch the tryouts and he stood right behind the bleachers where I sat, and when I started leaving, he literally was only watching me.”_ _

__

__“The hell-” Eren muttered as he made his way over to where I came from. He looked around for a few moments before coming back, a look of confusion on his face. “Prim, no one’s there.”_ _

__I turned to look for myself but noticed he really was gone. “I just..I did just see him.” I looked at Eren now. “I swear I did.”_ _

__“What’s going on?” Armin asked suddenly. Eren shifted his bag onto his back and looked back over to where I said I saw the figure._ _

__“Prim said there was a guy staring at her near the bleachers. Now he’s nowhere to be seen.”_ _

__“Uh, that’s not creepy. What did he look like?”_ _

__“He was wearing all black and had sunglasses on. He also had a black toque. I don’t know...it’s creeping me out, I think I’m just gonna head inside now.”_ _

__“We’ll walk you to class. That’s scary.” Armin insisted, and I didn’t turn him down. We quickly turned to head inside after that._ _

__Once I got to my class, I said bye to Armin and Eren and sighed in relief as I crossed the threshold. I was excited to just sit down and talk to Reiner about whatever he wanted to blab on about today. Anything to get my mind off the creepiness of my morning so far. First my towel, the feeling of being watched, my missing comb, then this weird guy...it was making me feel uneasy. As I started walking to my seat, I noticed there was someone sitting in it. I watched as a girl who I’d never seen before sat next to Reiner; her elbows propped up on the desk and her head tilted to the side. When looking at Reiner, I noticed that he looked quite annoyed and nervous. I stopped in my tracks and panned the room for another seat. This was fine, maybe it’s just a new student. That’s all._ _

__“Ah, Primrose. There’s an extra seat up here by me if you’d like.” I heard Mrs.Williams exclaim as she got up and pulled a seat out for me in front of her desk. I noticed then that Reiner looked up immediately and made eye contact with me from across the room. I sheepishly gave him a wave and shrugged a bit before walking over to my new seat. He looked upset. It was then that the girl next to him placed her hand on his forearm and looked at me. Reiner flinched away and rolled his eyes, turning away from her. I just sighed and sat down. I guess I’d just have to talk to him at lunch._ _


	4. Burdens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prim finally becomes aware of a troubled part of Reiner's past. She chooses to act on it, but not in a way that Reiner would have ever expected. Turns out her gut was right; there definitely was something going on and she wasn't about to put up with any of it. As Prim likes to say, "This is College, not Highschool."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't think of anything unique for a note today, so as always, just enjoy! Just some drama and then I promise, it will be calm. For a bit. >.>

Class was relatively boring today. Mrs.Williams wanted us to make up our own station jingles and names, so it was mostly a quiet period full of brainstorming. She’s honestly quite lousy; all he does is sit and browse her phone after telling us to do some kind of redundant task. Today was an exception, I guess. As I was on my way to my next class, my phone started ringing. I took a moment to check who it was and saw that it was my mom. She knew I had class so it worried me that she was actually calling. I cut through the horde of students and used one of the exits to get outside so I could answer. 

“Hello?” I asked as I leaned against a nearby tree. I placed my bag down on the ground beside me and braced myself just in case it was an emergency. Mom always did have a way of over exaggerating things, so I tried not to get too anxious.

“Prim! Oh, honey I’m sorry. I forgot you were in class.”

“Jeez Mom, you almost made me hijack a car and drive back home.”

I heard her kiss her teeth and huff. “Primrose. Don’t talk of illegal activities.”

A laugh escaped me as I shifted on my feet. “So, why are you calling?”

“I just wanted to check in. Your brother has been asking if you’ve made any friends yet.”

“You can tell him I’ve made lots. And I have a job.”

“Oh! That’s lovely. I don’t think you’ve told me about that, yet.”

I sighed as I remembered the last time I spoke to Mom. It must have been over 2 weeks. “I don’t think so...sorry, things just got so busy so quickly.”

“Don’t be sorry. As long as you’re safe, healthy and happy, that’s all that matters. So...any boyfriend yet?”

I felt my breath hitch in my throat. “Wh-what? Mom.”

“O-or girlfriends? I mean, it doesn’t matter to me, just as long as they’re good to you.”

“I haven’t got myself in a college relationship yet. But I assure you, you’ll be the first to know.”

She laughed a little and it made me smile. It made me glad to know she was happy and content. 

“I was actually wondering if we could come up for the weekend. Maybe we can meet your friends?”

“I’d love that!” my eyes widened and suddenly I felt life pour back into me. “Yes, that sounds great.”

“Okay, we’ll leave tomorrow after I pick Connor up from school. We should be there around 6-6:30.”

“Awesome, I’ll clean up and make a nice supper for you two.”

“Oh, pshhh...don’t worry about that. I can help you clean if you really want, but don’t go out of your way.”

“No, it’s okay. There’s nothing really to do anyway other than school and work part time.”

We chatted a little more before we finally said our farewells. Hearing that Mom and Connor were coming up made me excited. So excited, in fact, that I didn’t even feel like going to class. All I wanted to do was prepare for their visit. After contemplating a little bit, I decided to just get today over with so that I could devote tomorrow to getting ready. It didn’t stop me from hesitating to pick up my back and wander back into the college, though. Soon enough, it would be lunch. 

~

Armin and I slowly made our way out of our Earth Sciences class. We preferred waiting for most of the class to leave so we didn’t have to get squished among everyone else leaving. I enjoyed my classes with him; he was always making sure we both understood everything along the way. If I didn’t understand, he did. And if he didn’t, I did. And when we both didn’t, we worked on it together. He’s honestly super reliable and I’m glad we have a few classes together. 

“So Prim, what do you want to do for lunch?” Armin asked me as we walked towards our exit. Realization dawned suddenly; I rushed so much this morning that I forgot to bring anything. 

“No idea, actually. I forgot to bring even a snack today.”

“Oh, rough morning?”

“I’d say. The Universe was just like ‘Nope. Not today, Prim.’ Everything I seemed to need just went missing today.”

Armin turned to face me as we made our way onto the sidewalk. “Like, things were misplaced?”

“No, they literally just...disappeared.” I said with a shrug. “Before I had my shower this morning, I knew I had a towel in the bathroom. I saw it there as I started the water. When I got out to dry off, it was gone. Then my comb went missing, and it’s always on my dresser.”

“Prim, that’s concerning. And you live alone?”

“Yeah…” the confusion must have been showing on my face because suddenly I felt Armin’s hand on my shoulder. I snapped out of my confused daze and looked at him. 

“Sounds kind of fishy...maybe you should think of getting a camera?”

Those words made me so nervous. Was he implying that someone could have broken in? “Why?”

“If you’re sure you aren’t misplacing things yet they are still going missing, the only explanation is that someone is doing it. And you live alone. Isn’t that worrisome?”

“I mean, I was pretty tired last night. Maybe I did misplace it after all. There’s no one there but me and there’s absolutely no way someone would break in.” I smiled at him. “Plus, I’m sure I would hear if someone did.”

A moment went by and he sighed before removing his hand. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. The mind can do some weird things when we’re tired.”

Just then, Eren and Mikasa found their way to us. Mikasa looked as stoic as ever. 

“Hey, what are you guys up to?” Eren asked as he stood next to us. Armin adjusted his bag over his shoulders and ran his hand through his hair. 

“We’re deciding what to do for lunch, that’s all. Any idea?”

“Not really but can we go somewhere with air conditioning? Why is it so hot in October?”

I giggled, but he was right. It was pretty warm right now given the fact that it was halfway through the month. 

After a quick debate on where to go, we decided to grab some pizza. We headed towards the same street that had all the shops and eventually found a restaurant. It was bigger than the deli and Levi’s shop, plus it had A/C. Eren sighed in relief as we passed the threshold. 

“This feels great.” he breathed as he took his backpack off and made his way over to an empty table. We all followed and placed our things down. I decided I’d sit at the table while everyone else ordered. I didn’t think anyone would take it, but I just wanted to cool down a bit and take my time figuring out what to get. 

“Do you want me to grab you something, Prim?” Armin asked as he reached for his wallet. 

“Oh, it’s okay. I just want to sit for a bit before I order. Thank you though.”

“I’ll get it, it’s fine. You relax.”

“If you insist…” I said through a small smile. “I’ll take a veggie slice with an iced tea, please.”

Armin gave me a smile before making his way over to the counter. As I sat there, I glanced out the window and watched as people walked on by. The odd car drove down the street and there was an occasional bird who perched on the public benches. It was such a cozy little environment and I was beginning to love it. I noticed that a group of students were walking by and I had the unfortunate opportunity of making eye contact with one of them. My stomach turned into a knot as I recognized who it was; the girl who was taking photos of me at the beginning of the year.

I never did understand why she did what she did. It took me a few days to shake her from my mind and not be so paranoid, but the way she acted just now made those feelings come back. Her little squad slowed their pace and they all ended up turning and looking at me. I ended up recognizing another one of them, and it was the girl who was sitting next to Reiner today. I watched as they did a sudden backtrack and before I knew it, they started to pour into the pizza shop. 

“Great.” I muttered under my breath. My friends were still in line so I just sat there awkwardly while hoping they didn’t come to bother me. My gut was going off though; I knew something was going to happen. 

The girl who took my pictures approached me and despite my efforts of trying to ignore her presence, she still sat down in front of me and cleared her throat.

“I know you know I’m here.” She said in a hushed tone. “You never listened.”

“What are you even talking about?” I crossed my arms and finally turned to her; the eye contact was absolutely unbearable. “I’m not playing into your highschool bullshit. I hope you deleted those photos of me.”

“I did, but she didn’t.” she motioned her head towards the girl who sat with Reiner today. My brows furrowed when I saw her grin at me from her spot in line. The girl across from me sighed. “Look, you should know that her and Reiner used to be a thing.”

“A what?”

“You know what I mean.”

I must’ve made her feel awkward because I just burst out laughing right then and there. “Dating, you mean? Like, they were in a relationship? Use big girl words.”

“She just wants you to know.”

“Well you know what, she can tell me herself.” by now my voice was getting louder. It caught my friend’s attention and they turned to see what was going on. The girl in question no longer had a grin on her face. I ended up standing from my seat and made my way over to her. She looked around and kissed her teeth before placing her hands on her hips. 

“Uh, can I help you?”

“Why are you sending your little dog after me? Can’t speak for yourself?” I asked her as I inched closer. Mikasa broke out of the line and came over to my side; her hand grasping my arm lightly. 

“Primrose, we’ll get kicked out.”

“I’m not going to do anything, Mikasa.”

The girl snarled in laughter and looked between her friends. “Primrose? Baha, who named you, your 1000 year old grandma?”

I ignored her attempted jab at me and never broke eye contact. “I didn’t put thousands of dollars towards an education just to have to deal with a bunch of broads with the mental capacity of a highschool bitch.”

By now, Eren and Armin had made their way over. The paparazzi girl was back as well and stood sheepishly behind her friends. 

“I don’t care if you and Reiner were a ‘thing’,” I said with air quotes. “We’re friends. I’m allowed to be friends with whoever the hell I want. You sound like a clingy, obsessive ex who can’t get over the fact you’re not together anymore.”

“Wow,” Eren said. “That’s what this is about? For a second I thought Prim killed your dog.” he erupted in a fit of bellowing laughter. “This is about Reiner?”

“Apparently.” I breathed. I continued to stand in front of her; my eyes not breaking her gaze. “Now, leave me alone.” 

“I’m ordering food.”

“You only came in here because I was in here first. Do you realize how stupid you and your little clique look?”

I noticed the other girls shift their weight between their feet in awkward silence. The paparazzi girl just stared at the ground; she didn’t look like she was into this at all. I started to feel bad.

The dumb broad continued to stand there for a few more painful moments before huffing and stomping out of the shop. I noticed the other girl still stayed exactly where she was with her shoulders slumped. 

“Why do you let her boss you around like that?”

She jolted at the sound of my voice as if she was broken out of a trance. I could tell she was uncomfortable and she looked behind her to see where her friends had gone. Some friends they were because she ended up just leaving anyway.

“She’s...she’s not my friend.”

“So why do you do stuff for her?”

“Can we talk about this at the table?”

I looked at my friends and they just shrugged. I rolled my eyes and walked back towards the table; the girl following behind me. I slouched into my chair and watched her sit across from me again. When she spoke, her voice was really quiet. 

“Look, I’m sorry. I feel really bad for what I did. And you’re right; it’s like highschool. Middleschool, even. Really immature.”

“Yeah, not something to expect from someone in college. Seems to me that you took photos of me, sent them to her and she ended up transferring into the class because of it.”

“Pretty much. I’m sorry.”

“Why is she so obsessed? I literally have only been friends with everyone for less than 2 months and I feel like I’m breaking up a non-existent marriage.”

“I know...Laura is something else.”

Oh, so that’s her name.

“Okay?”

She sighed and placed her elbows on the table so she could get closer. “They did date in highschool. As you know, he’s big on sports. He played everything he could; rugby, soccer, hockey. But she smothered him and he grew tired of her antics. He started coming to school tired, unmotivated, and just miserable.”

She had my attention now and I eased up in my chair. By now, the others made their way back to the table. Mikasa took a chair from another table and pulled up beside me. I thanked Armin as he placed my lunch in front of me and turned my attention back to the girl in front of me.

“What was she doing?” I asked as I opened my can of iced tea. 

“I don’t know exactly. Called him at all hours of the night, she’d show up to his house and freak out in the middle of the night. I don’t know why his mom never did anything. Honestly I think he was mostly on his own.”

Well that just sucks. “That’s a shitty girlfriend, if you ask me.”

“Well, it gets worse.” she said with a drawn out breath. “One day, they got in a fight. He wanted to break things off with her and she didn’t like it. She was having such a negative impact on him and he had enough. He got kicked off of one of his teams because he was falling behind in his classes. The other teams were holding onto a possibility of him making it all up, but it got crushed when she came forth with accusations.”

“I remember this,” Armin said quietly. “I almost forgot it happened.”

“What?” I asked. Looking amongst all my friends, I noticed they all seemed to know what was going on. 

“She spread a rumor around school that he beat her when, really, she did it to herself. She was throwing herself into his front door, onto the ground, scratching herself up...it was insane. And everyone believed her because no one could fathom anyone hurting themselves like that. Even though it was just rumors, he was dropped from every team he was on.”

I was shocked and couldn’t help but shake my head. Was I hearing that right? 

“But everyone found out it was a lie, right?” I asked as I placed my drink down on the table. 

“They did, but by then it was too late to do anything. It was too far in the year to add him back onto the teams. Or so they say.” She removed her elbows from the table and placed them on her lap. Her gaze turned to the window. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s trying to blackmail him again after finding out he’s trying to get on the football team.”

“Well, she can try. He’s got us to back him up.”

“Yeah, but she’s the Dean’s daughter. If she says one thing, that’s it.”

I sat back in my chair while rolling my eyes. “Wow, I paid thousands to go back to highschool.”

Eren let out a little chuckle at my comment which earned him a glare from Mikasa. 

“What’s your name?” I asked the girl infront of me.

“It’s Charlotte.”

“Well, Charlotte. I think you need to re-evaluate who your friends are. Laura sounds like the kind of person to kick you while you’re down and douse your flames with oil.” I said before taking a bite of my pizza. Armin nodded in agreeance and began eating his food as well. 

“I know.” she replied while looking down at her hands. “I really should, but she’s blackmailing me, too.”

“How?” Mikasa asked. That was the first time I think I’ve ever heard her inquire about anything remotely related to drama.

“I made the stupid decision to date her brother and I may or may not have sent him some photos.”

“Man,” I said after taking a sip of my drink. “What’s with this girl and photos? How did she even get them? That's messed up.”

"I'm pretty sure she went into his phone. She's a snoop like that."

Eren muttered under his breath. “Why don’t we just call her out?”

“And what? It’s college. She needs to be spoken to. If she continues to be a bitch, then we go higher up. I hate bullies.”

I’ve had my fair share of bullies growing up. I remember when Connor had his one and only encounter with one. Mom was working a little late so I was the one who marched his little self over to the bully’s house and explained everything to his mom. He got an apology and nothing ever happened again. I mean, there is a difference between a small child and an almost completely grown female human.

“That won’t work.” Mikasa said. “She needs her security blanket torn down.”

“Which is her...dad? Mom? Who’s the Dean?” Armin asked Charlotte. 

“It’s her dad.”

“Ah, great. Well, this is annoying and I’m probably going to skip the rest of the day now because if I see her I’m probably going to shove her acrylics into her eyes.” I said as I stood up from my seat. I didn’t even realize I finished off my food. I didn’t even get to enjoy it.

“Prim!” Armin protested. “Violence isn’t the way to go about fixing things.”

“Okay, I wouldn’t actually do that. But come on, really? Is this college? This is worse than that movie, Mean Girls!”

Charlotte stood up. “What if I said something to her?”

I walked back towards the table and grabbed my bag from the back of the chair. “Oh?”

“You put it into perspective for me. I shouldn’t be afraid of her. And even if she does send my pictures around, I’ll get over it eventually.” I could hear her voice falter as she finished speaking and I instinctively walked up to her and gave her a light hug. 

“No, you won’t. That’s why I’m getting her nasty-ass phone and deleting the photos for you.”

I was absolutely not having any of this. Laura could piss right off.

~

The rest of the day seemed to go by faster since we all anticipated an altercation when we were ready to leave. There were some evening classes that the teachers were prepping for, but most of the younger students were done for the day. 

Finally, it was time to go. I quickly made my way downstairs and into the student commons. It was there that Charlotte wanted to address her feelings to Laura. It didn’t take me long to spot her and I made my way over to where she was sitting. 

“Hey, you okay?” I could tell she was nervous. She nodded her head slowly and looked down at the floor. I took a seat next to her and rested my hand on her back. “Stop looking at the floor. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

She let out a sigh and looked up. I smiled and gave her a few pats on her back and stood up again. 

“Where is she?” I asked as I panned the room. 

“Where’s who?”

I turned around and saw Laura standing there with her little clique. They all looked like they had horrible attitudes and looked at Charlotte and I up and down. Laura scoffed. 

“Charlotte, what are you doing?”

Charlotte stood up slowly and turned to face Laura; her demeanor started to falter again but I gave her a little nudge. She looked at me for a moment and I just gave her a smile. This must have aggravated Laura because she crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg. 

“What the hell is going on?”

“Oh,” I began as I made eye contact with her. “Nothing. So uh...you don’t want me to talk to Reiner anymore. Right?”

“Pft. I thought you didn’t care?” 

“I don’t.”

Just then, Mikasa swiftly made her way between them and took a stand beside me. Little did they know that she had just swiped Laura’s phone from her open purse. She casually turned the screen on and swiped. 

“Hey, my phone!” Laura screeched before lunging towards Mikasa, but I stepped in front of her. 

“Wow,” Mikasa muttered. “What kind of fool doesn’t have a passcode?”

“Give me back my phone!” Laura yelled. By now, a few people turned to look at what was going on. 

It was at that moment that I saw a familiar face make their way into the student commons. Laura noticed, too and immediately started calling out. 

“REINER! THIS BITCH HAS MY PHONE!”

I saw him look over immediately and stop in his tracks. It’s like the blood just drained from his face. Laura grew impatient. 

“COME ON! GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME.”

“Would you shut up?” I asked her, turning my gaze back to her. “You’ll get your damn phone back once your blackmail photos are gone your royal fucking heighness.” 

“What’s going on here?” I heard footsteps run up to us and noticed it was Professor Erwin. Laura wasted no time.

“That girl just straight up went into my purse and took my phone!”

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. “Yeah, because you have naked fucking photos of your friends to blackmail them with!”

“Done.” Mikasa said before holding the phone back out to Laura. “Charlotte, your photos aren’t on there anymore.”

Laura frantically grabbed her phone back and her eyes were wide. Reiner had slowly made his way to us and stood off to the side.

Professor Erwin looked down at Laura with a stoic expression. “Is this true?”

Laura refused to say anything and just put her phone in her purse and zipped it up. It was then that I noticed another person make their way over to us. Charlotte bit her lip and leaned towards me. 

“It’s the Dean.” 

He walked right up beside Laura and straightened out his suit. He was a tall man with a thick beard and his hair slicked back. When Laura noticed he was there, I couldn’t tell if she was relieved or scared. 

“Ah, Professor Erwin. You got here before I did. Care to explain?”

“Yes. It seems your daughter has been blackmailing her friend with photos intended for one person and one person, only.”

Connecting the dots, the Dean looked down at Laura questioningly. I feel as though if this was her talking to him alone, he would have sided with her. But now since this was an altercation with many people watching, including a professor, things were rather different. And this isn’t something that she’s used to at all. 

“Laura-”

“I didn’t do anything.” she spat while cutting her dad off before he could say anything. I grew more annoyed the more I heard her. 

“While we’re at it,” I began. “I’ll take this moment to kindly tell you to leave me and my friends alone. This isn’t highschool; we’re all here on paid education to learn and achieve our career goals. No one cares about your past highschool relationship and your desire to sabotage a guy’s life because you can’t stand the fact he DOESN’T WANT YOU.”

A few students held their hands up to their mouths in an attempt to cover their laughs and giggles. I noticed then that Reiner was looking at me; his gaze was intense. 

“Excuse me?” Laura asked as calmly as she could. 

“Don’t play dumb. Everyone knows you spread rumors in highschool about Reiner beating you when it was all you to begin with.”

“Yeah,” Eren exclaimed from behind us. I didn’t even notice him get here. “Who beats themselves up to frame someone else, anyway?”

“Psychos.” Mikasa replied. 

“Enough.” the Dean said. “Laura, my office. Now.” the sound of defeat was evident in his voice. He turned away from us and walked back down the hall while shaking his head. However, Laura remained in front of us. I took a step towards her and smiled which only caused her to glare at me even more. 

“If Reiner is accepted on the team, I better not find out he gets kicked from it if you don’t get your way.” 

“Don’t worry.” she spat; her neck stretching forwards until our faces were mere inches apart. “Now that the entire school thinks I’m crazy, they wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

“BUT YOU ARE CRAZY!” I heard Connie yell from behind us. Now everyone was there. A smile crept on my face as I heard a bunch of laughter erupt around us. Fed up, Laura went to turn around but locked eyes with Reiner for a brief moment. Her expression of anger quickly fell into that of upset and hurt before she took off after her father. I looked at Reiner and saw that his expression was unchanging. In this moment, he was pretty hard to read.

“Primrose,” Professor Erwin began. “I will ensure that if she chooses to stay at the college, she is not in any of your classes. The same goes for all of you.” he said as he looked amongst my friends and I. 

“Thank you, Professor Erwin.” I said with a nod. He cleared his throat before stepping back and making his leave. Reiner started to walk towards us now; his pace was slow and he seemed almost embarrassed. I just smiled at him. 

“Hey, sweaty bear man.” I teased, which earned me a grin as he looked down at the floor. 

“Hey.” He raised his hand to rub the back of his head before finally looking up at me. “So, you are filled in I guess?”

“I think so. Please don’t tell me there’s more because I literally just want to erase half of my brain now.”

He chuckled and looked down at the floor again. “And you...you believe me, right?”

“Believe you?”

“I never did beat her. I’ve never put my hands on a woman. Ever.”

I could tell this was really bugging him and I wondered if she really did threaten him after all. “Reiner, are you serious? What did she say t-”

“Just answer the question.”

I was taken aback by his sudden sternness and my brows furrowed. “Dude...obviously I believe you. Don’t get like that with me.”

He sighed and took a seat on one of the sofas that were conveniently placed throughout the common room. His elbows rested on his knees and he held his head in his hands. “Sorry, I just- I’m fed up. I shouldn’t have been short with you.”

I took a seat next to him and gave him a gentle shove. “It’s okay. I can’t imagine how frustrating she’s been. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really. But maybe one day. Just not right now.” he dropped his hands and turned to look at me. I watched as his eyes wandered over my face, to my hair and down to my shoulders. He stopped; not wanting to go further. “Thanks for that, though. Standing up for me.”

“Don’t sweat it. I figured you wouldn’t want to do it yourself considering the security she has.”

“Had.” Sasha butted in our conversation. Reiner and I both looked up at her questionably. 

“What do you mean?” I asked. 

“I just walked by the Dean’s office. Seems like she’s dropping out and going to another school.”

“Wow, that was fast. Daddy caught her being a bitch.” I grinned. “Good.”

I heard Reiner let out a satisfied sigh as he slouched back into the sofa. “Fuck yeah.”

Sasha and I shared a laugh before she turned around to join the others. I looked back at Reiner and reached my hand out to ruffle up his hair. “Happy?”

I could see the smile stretch on his face. “Yes.” He sat up now and stretched before standing and grabbing his bag. “You went off though. I didn’t expect that from you.”

“Well, think about it. I literally did not spend highschool acing my prerequisites and saving up money to pay for college just to be surrounded by drama. We’re adults. That was so stupid and I had no patience left. Especially after finding out what she was doing to Charlotte.” I stood up now and swung my bag over my shoulder. I looked back at Reiner and it seemed like he was deep in thought. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat and put his hands in the pockets of jeans. 

“Wanna walk home together?” he asked. I could hear the confidence come back in his voice. If I can be honest, I definitely missed it. It made me wonder exactly what Laura said to him to make him switch moods so fast. 

“Sure, I’d like that.” 

He shot me a quick smile before we both made our way to the exit. The others had already left, so it was just us on the walk home.

On our walk, we chatted about all kinds of things. How classes were going, when he’d find out whether or not he made it on the team, why it took so long for the college to hold tryouts...turns out they were just waiting for their coach to come back. We also had our fair share of laughs. I was careful not to bring up Laura; I’d let him do that on his own.

My place was first along the way. Once we reached the steps that led to the porch, we stopped. I leaned against one railing and he the other. It looked like he wanted to say something, so I remained quiet for a bit longer. I quite enjoyed just standing there; the fall breeze was nice. After a moment or two, I grew impatient. 

“Do you wanna come in?”

He snapped back from whatever netherworld he was surfing around in and looked at me. “Come in?”

“Hello, Prim to Reiner. Do you want to come inside and hang out for a bit? Or a while? Whichever tickles your fancy.”

He just grinned and scratched the back of his head. Sometimes I wondered if he really was the big brute he looked like, or just a dense mass of flesh and steroids. 

“How about a while? It’s not every day I get invited to a beautiful lady’s house.” he said with a smirk. I just automatically started laughing and gave him a little shove. 

“Ah, chivalry. Here, you can bring my bag in.” I said as I left my bag on the step and went up to the door. As I unlocked and opened the door, I felt my cheeks start burning. The words he just said must have started to sink in. Did he really think I was beautiful?


	5. Sleep Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sangria, dinner, neighbors and a movie. An eventful day calls for an eventful night. Prim is able to delve a little deeper into Reiner's past over a nice dinner. She also gets to meet her new neighbor whom Reiner seems to be on edge about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Chapter 5, here. Hope you enjoy. :)

After having such an eventful day, I figured it was time to wind down. I was still on the fence about skipping tomorrow in order to get ready for Mom and Connor, but after ranting and raving literally all day about paying for college to get an education, I might as well go. After all, it’s not like I’d have too much to clean up since it’s just me. 

I grabbed one of my stemless wine glasses and walked over to the fridge. I filled it halfway with some ice and then grabbed a bottle of sangria I had on the counter. Thoughts started going through my mind about the events of the day and I found myself getting upset all over again. Just as I managed to push it all aside, it came flooding back. I didn’t realize I was struggling to open the bottle until Reiner entered my peripheral. I turned to face him; one of his arms was leaning on the counter while that classic grin was plastered on his face. 

“Need a hand?” he asked me in that sultry voice of his. I don’t know if I was just mad about thinking of everything again or if I was just blushing. I thought I’d try one more time to open the bottle, but I ended up failing. Hesitantly, I slid the bottle across the counter towards him . He chuckled and picked the bottle up. With one effortless twist, the bottle was open. “There you go.”

He handed the bottle back to me and just remained at the counter as I started to pour myself a drink. 

“Thanks. Would you like one?” I asked. Not that I think he’d drink sangria socially, but I figured I’d be considerate and ask. He was my guest, after all. 

“Sure.” his grin widened as he reached out for my glass and picked it up. My eyes widened and my mouth fell agape. This man really did just get in between me and my Sangria. 

“You are brave, I’ll give you that.”

He sat down at the table and leaned back in the chair. And yes, I found myself staring again.

The sun was pooling in through the window and as he raised the glass to his lips, the red and burgundy hues in the glass danced so beautifully. It made the drink look a lot better than what it probably was, but I’ll never know if that’s true or not. Other than the glass, there was something else that captivated me. The sunlight got caught in his eyes and made them seem almost heavenly. I was definitely staring too much but couldn’t bring myself to look away. He took one more swig and put the glass down. My eyes wandered to his throat where I saw the movement of his larynx as he swallowed. The grin never left his face. I felt the burning in my cheeks come back and I ended up just grabbing the bottle and bringing it to the table. I took my glass back and began to pour another drink. 

“Sorry, I meant to save you some.” he said as he watched me finish pouring into the glass. 

“Yeah, yeah. Sure you did.” I closed the bottle back up and placed it aside before taking a well deserved sip. My eyes closed and I exhaled for a moment. “You’re such a tease.”

Reiner took this moment to take off his light jacket and drape it over the back of the chair. He repositioned himself so that his elbows were on the table and he was tucked more closely into it. He looked out the window now and watched almost dreamily as some leaves began to fall off of the trees. “So, do you wanna know what she said?”

I stared at him intently until it clicked; he was talking about Laura. I took another sip of my drink and stared out the window with him. I could feel the tension rising up again and needed to do something to break it. 

“Only if you feel like sharing. If not, just bury it and leave it. I don’t want you to upset yourself.” I took another sip. “Besides, people break up all the time. She wasn’t for you, you weren’t for her...no big deal.”

He thought about that for a moment, but I suppose his thoughts got the better of him and he felt as if he had to explain himself. 

“First, I want to know what you know.”

I raised the glass to take another sip and kept my gaze outside. A smile spread across my face as I saw a little rabbit run across the grass. Being the end block was great because there was way more natural light and you always got to see something neat like that. 

“I know you two dated in highschool. Long story short, she was controlling, obsessive, possessive, psychotic, wouldn’t let you live a normal life without her shenanigans. She interfered in your sportsmanship in school, got you kicked, spread false accusations…” I turned to look at him now. “Pretty crazy stuff, if I do say so myself.”

“Sounds right to me.” his tone was monotonous again. I could never get how his mood could change so quickly. Then again, I’ve only known him for a short amount of time. Maybe one day I’ll understand him better.

“Reiner, look.” I pushed the glass away and reached a hand out to grasp his forearm. He flinched a little bit and looked down at my hand; his eyes transfixed for a bit before following up my arm and to my face. “You don’t have to prove anything to me. Literally no one has confirmed anything she said and most of all, I don’t get those vibes from you.” I also understood that this all didn’t really happen that long ago. This is our first year of college. I’m pretty sure we all jumped into it right after highschool, but I didn’t want to make it seem like such a big deal. At least I didn’t feel like it was. To me, it just sounded like a huge exaggerated breakup.

He stared at me intently for a moment. Even though I didn’t understand the need or the want to talk about this anymore than we have already, I felt something was off. He was definitely keeping something from me, I just knew it. I let out a small sigh and let go of his arm before taking a sip of my drink. “I haven’t even known you all for a full two months and I think I could write my own trilogy of the drama I’ve seen and heard about.”

I thought I was funny, but he didn’t laugh though. He just stared at his arm where I had rested my hand for a few seconds before closing his eyes; his head leaning back. Just as I was thinking the awkward silence was never going to end, there was a knock on my door. It startled me, and that’s mostly because no one really ever comes by. I stood up and as I walked past Reiner, I dragged my glass across the table and left it in front of him as I continued on to the door.

“You seem to need that more than I do.” I muttered under my breath. Within seconds I could hear the clinking of the ice within the glass as he proceeded to drink what was left. 

Once I reached the door I stood up on my tippy toes so I could see through the peephole. A guy with red hair stood outside with a small box. A little confused, but not wanting to be rude, I started to unlock the door. As soon as I opened it, the guy smiled. 

“Hi, can I help you?” I asked while keeping the door slightly closed. Even though he looked my age, I didn’t want any strangers scoping out my place.

“Hey. Uh...the name Reese. I’m your new neighbor.”

Hearing that made me a tiny bit relieved, but I was still one edge. “I’m Primrose. Welcome to the neighborhood.”

“Hah thanks. I, uh...actually brought something. I know it’s usually the other way around but I thought why not.” he held out his hand which possessed the small box I had observed through the door. Surprised, I reached out to it and gently took it from him. 

“Oh, thank you!” I opened it carefully and discovered there were homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies inside. “Ah, my favourite.”

“Really?” he asked, surprised. 

I nodded and turned to place the box down on the accent table by the door when I noticed Reiner at the corner of my eye. He was sitting sideways on the chair with his arm propped over the back of it and quietly watched my exchange with the new neighbor. I mouthed ‘what?’ to him, but he didn’t respond in any way, shape or form. Reese cleared his throat which brought my attention back to him. 

“Oh, is someone there? Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“No no, it’s okay. He’s my friend. We’re hanging out after a ridiculous day of classes.”

I saw the light come back into his eyes. “Do you attend college here?”

“Yeah, we both do.” I was starting to get uneasy now, but that was only because I was forcing myself to entertain a stranger in my doorway. I’m sure the conversation would’ve been more relaxed in a public setting. 

“Cool, I’m starting there on Monday. I’ll see you there then, I guess?”

“For sure. Reese, right?”

“Yes.” he raised his hand up so he could rub the back of his head; his gaze moving towards the ground. “Anyway, I’ll leave you and your friend alone. I just wanted to introduce myself.”

I smiled. “Thanks, it was nice meeting you. And thank you for the cookies! I’ll have some later.”

“Sounds good. Have a good rest of your day, Primrose.” he said with a smile before turning to walk down the steps. 

“You too, Reese.”

I watched for a few seconds until he got back to the sidewalk and closed my door gently before locking it. As I turned to get the box of cookies, I saw the Reiner was already inspecting the box. 

“Really?” he scoffed.

“What?” I walked up to him and opened the box more so I could see the cookies. I had to admit, they did look pretty good. “These?”

“Who moves to a neighborhood and gives their neighbors house-warming gifts?”

I rolled my eyes before grabbing the box in its entirety and walking over to the dining table. Reiner walked over to the livingroom and peeked through the curtains; very NOT discreetly. 

“Reiner, what’s up with you?”

“What?” he asked defensively as he still peered out the window. I just pulled a chair out and sat at the table. I kept watching him act like a child and crossed one of my knees over the other; this was amusing.

“He just wanted to be nice. Are you going to have some?” I asked as I reached in the box for one of the cookies. My eyes never left Reiner as I watched him hesitantly leave the center stage of the living room curtains and make his way back over to the table. He sat down and rested both of his elbows on the table while leaning forward.

“Wait.” 

Just as I was about to take a bite, he swiped the cookie from my hand and took a bite for himself. I should’ve seen it coming, honestly. I wasn’t even mad. 

“Checking for poison?” I asked as I reached for another. 

“Yep.” his head tilted back as he tossed the cookie in the air and caught it with his mouth flawlessly. I giggled at his antics and kissed my teeth. 

“You need to relax. Do you forget how we met?”

Expecting his expression to change into that of a deer caught in headlights, I was pretty bummed to see he was unphased before casually drinking the rest of the sangria.

“The bougie juice makes it better.” he said as he wiped the little bit of liquid that trickled down his chin. 

“What’s up with you?” I was getting a little agitated at this point and my tone was more firm. Reiner must have clued in by now since he finally made eye contact with me. I wonder if the booze was making him antsy or something. It was only sangria, and if this is what sangria would do, I could only imagine what would happen with other drinks. 

“Nothing.”

“So then answer my question. Do you forget how we met?”

“I’d never forget.” he said as he removed one of his elbows from the table and rested his hand on his lap. I noticed that he was bobbing his leg under the table. Definitely antsy.

“Yeah, you were pretty forward. And annoying.” I stood up and walked over to him; his eyes never leaving me. “But, I gave you a chance to prove to me you weren’t a creep and look at us now. You’re in my home, drinking my sangria and getting heated up because my new neighbor came by to introduce himself.”

“He brought you cookies.” was all he could muster to say. I sighed and placed a hand on his cheek. As expected, he was warming up. 

“You need to cool off, lightweight. Why don’t you take a shower? I’m sure you’ve got an extra change of clothes in there.”

“Who brings cookies?”

“Reese brought cookies. Are you finished?” I removed my hand from his cheek and walked over to his bag. I picked it up and tossed it at him as I went for another cookie. In a way, I was kind of enjoying how flustered he was getting. But really? Sangria?

“I guess so.” he mumbled as he reached for his bag and stood up. “Where’s the shower?”

“It’s in my room.” the words came out faster than I could think and I suddenly found myself running to the stairs. 

“What’s wrong?” Reiner called out as he followed behind me. 

“Wait, I need to make sure everything’s clean.” I huffed as I finally made my way to my room. I could’ve sworn I heard him laughing from the stairs then. Finally, an emotion of some kind was showing again.

I rushed into my bathroom first to make sure anything embarrassing was put away, like dirty clothes, for instance. Once that was done, I went back into my room and straightened it up the best I could. I realized then that I didn’t make my bed that morning and I found myself rushing to get that done just as Reiner walked in. 

“Wait!” I said again, this time my voice was shrill. I could see him lean against the doorframe and cross his arms. He watched in amusement as I scrambled to make sure my room was presentable and nothing was left laying out that would make him think I was some weirdo. 

“You don’t have to worry about any of that, I’m not gonna judge.” his voice was smoother than normal. When I was finished, I turned to look at him and saw that he was grinning. I was quite relieved to see it, actually. 

“It’s just a courtesy, okay. I would have cleaned up for anyone if I knew they were coming over.” I raised my arm and pointed to the bathroom. “The shower is in there. Please crack the window when you’re done so mould doesn’t grow anywhere. There’s a clean towel hanging on the rack, too.”

He picked his bag back up and slung it over his shoulder. “Got it, boss.” he said as he walked towards the bathroom. I must have dazed off for a bit because I was brought back to reality by him speaking again. “You gonna stand there, or…?”

“Oh, shit. Sorry.” I laughed a little as I made my way out of the room. “Take your time, I’ll just be down here.”

Once I got to the main floor again, I decided to make a little something to eat. I pondered for a bit while I looked through the fridge and cupboards and ultimately decided on some left over pasta I had. When I had enough left over, I liked putting it in a baking dish and making a bastardized version of lasagna with cheese and whatever toppings I felt like. Within about 15 minutes, I was ready to put it in the oven. Just as I placed it in and shut the door, I was startled by my phone ringing. It was Sasha.

“Hey!” I said happily as I held the phone with my shoulder. “Sorry, just give me a sec.” 

“No worries!” Sasha said. 

“Okay. I just put dinner in the oven and was making sure the temperature was set right. What’s up?”

“Oh! What’s for supper? And not much.”

“Leftover pasta. Wanna come by for some?”

“I wish! I’m not feeling too good right now, but I wanted to call and check on you after today.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. What’s wrong?”

“Just an upset stomach. I think I ate too fast! Or maybe the food was spoiled, but I didn’t notice.”

I giggled a bit at that last remark. “Of course.”

“What are you up to anyway?”

“Ah, not much. Reiner’s over, actually.”

“How’s that going?”

“It’s going. He’s been drinking my sangria and is all hormonal because my new neighbor came to introduce himself.”

Sasha laughed. “Why am I not surprised.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked, taken aback by that comment. 

“That’s just him. He gets like that when he really likes someone; protective, big brother like. He’s like that with our friend Christa, Bertholdt and their childhood friend Annie.”

“Annie and Christa, I don’t think I met them.”

“No, Annie ended up not going to college. If I’m right, she just didn’t know what to pursue just yet. As for Christa, she went to University to pursue a teaching degree. She loves being around kids.”

“Aw, I wonder if I’ll meet them one day. Maybe with Christmas break coming up.”

“Yeah, that would be nice! Anyway, I’ll let you go. I’m gonna shower and head to bed early.”

“Alright Sasha, have a good night and get lots of rest.”

“Thanks Prim, you too!”

Like clockwork, just as I hung up with Sasha, I heard Reiner making his way down the stairs; the floorboards creaking beneath him with every step. I turned and looked at him, his hair was fluffed up from towel drying. He had changed into a pair of athletic shorts, a tank top, and he had the towel he used draped over his shoulder. As he walked over to me, I could hear the wood floor stick to the bottom of his bare feet. 

“Hey princess,” I teased as I leaned back against the dining table and crossed my arms. “Feeling better?”

He grinned and took a seat back at the table. “A bit, I guess.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me. “I can’t believe sangria gets you like that.”

“It just creeps up on you, what can I say.” he took the towel and pat it around his neck before draping it over his thigh. “Where do you want the towel?”

“Here,” I said while holding out my hand and beckoning him to give me the towel. When he did, I walked over to the stairs and tossed it up onto the landing. “I’ll deal with it when I go to bed.”

He raised his brows in amusement and held his hands as if in defeat. “That works.”

We spent the next half hour or so just chatting. I asked how Bertholdt was feeling since the last I heard was that he caught a cold. At least I think that’s what was wrong with him. Apparently he was still sleeping it off at home. I asked if we should go check on him, but Reiner insisted he just needed sleep Finally, the oven timer went off and I hurriedly made my way to it. The warmth from the oven burned my face as I opened it, but that was fine. The smell made up for it. 

“What’d you make?” Reiner asked as he looked over from his seat. I grabbed the dish with a dish towel and carefully lifted it onto the counter by the window. 

“Bastard Lasagna.”

He let out a bellowing laugh and stretched as he stood up. “Bastard Lasagna?”

“Yep. It’s gonna be great. Want some?”

“Sure,” he said while making his way over to check it out. “Looks delicious, actually.”

I smiled at the comment and opened the cupboards to grab some plates. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” he leaned on the counter now and watched as I prepared our plates. Once they were done, I grabbed some glasses. 

“Water this time?” I asked him with a grin. He chuckled and hung his head. 

“Water sounds fantastic.”

After a few more moments, I had everything ready. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Reiner took it upon himself to help bring everything to the table. Once we were seated, we began to eat. I think he was enjoying it since he didn’t talk for a little while. 

“So,” I began. “Tell me about your friend Annie.”

“You know about her?” he asked between bites, not looking up from his plate. 

“She came up in conversation along with a girl named Christa. I don’t think I met them yet.”

I think I caught his attention now because he looked up at me while grabbing his glass of water. His eyes stayed locked on mine while he drank; I was beginning to wonder if I crossed some kind of line by bringing them up. 

“What?” I asked before taking a bite of my food. My shoulders shrugged slightly . 

“How’d you find out about them?”

I took my time chewing my food while trying to think of an answer to give him that wouldn’t make it seem like I was talking behind his back. I mean, was I really? I just mentioned how things were going, it’s not like we were gossiping. After swallowing my food, I took a quick sip of water. Once I placed my glass back down, I shrugged again. 

“I was just talking to Sasha and mentioned how you were getting upset with my neighbor. She thinks it’s just because of how you get around people you like; you get protective. Like a big brother.”

He cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the window. If I wasn’t mistaken, I could see his cheeks turn slightly pink. I just smirked before looking down at my plate again to get another bite. 

“Annie is an old friend of mine. I’ve known her just as long as Bertholdt. She’s great and all, but she warms up to people slowly. I think Bertholdt has feelings for her though, but he lacks the confidence to do anything about it.”

“Aw...well, why don’t you encourage him to talk to her about his feelings?” I asked before taking another bite. He finally turned back to his plate; his expression softening. 

“I’ve tried. He thinks she’s not into him and just gives up before he tries.”

“Well,” I reached for my glass again. “Maybe I can help with that? When can I meet her?”

He looked up at me questioningly as he took another bite. It seemed like he was having difficulty contemplating this idea. He proceeded to wash down his food with some more water. “I mean, I guess so. I’m not sure when we’ll see her next. Home is about an hour and a half away.”

I waved my hand in the air and furrowed my brows. “Oh please, I can easily rent a car for a weekend or something and we could head down. You, me and Bertholdt.”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course.” I took the last bite of my food and quickly washed it down with the water. Reiner ended up finishing right after. 

“Why?” 

“Why not?”

He grinned at me and shook his head. There was no winning any kind of conversation with me. I just smiled and picked up the dinnerware off the table before bringing them all to the sink. 

“It’s settled then. We’ll plan that maybe for next weekend?” I asked as I began the dishes. I didn’t even notice Reiner had made his way over to me until I felt him lightly shove me to the side. 

“I’ll do these. You cooked.” he said as he took the sponge from my hand and began washing. “And yes, that sounds good. I’ll help with the rental and gas, too.”

I gladly obliged his request to wash the dishes and promptly dried my hands. Not wanting to walk away and leave him there, I stood with my back against the counter and placed my hands on the edge of the counter. In one swift movement, I jumped up so I could sit on the counter next to him. His eyes flickered up from the sink to look at me; his head not moving at all. 

“Now tell me about Christa. What’s she like?”

He turned his gaze back to the dishes and I could tell he was starting to get flustered. He hesitated with his answer and I just said the first thing that came to mind. 

“Did you like her or something? What’s up?”

“I did.” 

“Okay. Did you ever date?”

He let out a faint laugh and shook his head. “No. I wanted to, though. But it would never work.”

I didn’t know whether to feel afflicted by those words or not. “Oh...what’s she like?”

Reiner turned the tap off and wrung out the sponge before placing it back in it’s caddy in the sink. He grabbed the dish towel and dried his hands as well as the counter; wiping up any of the splashback that made its way to beyond the sink itself. As he hung the towel back on the oven door handle, he cleared his throat again. 

“Christa’s wonderful. Beautiful, too. I remember when I first saw her I was so captivated. She’s kind and always thinks of others before herself.” he stopped there for a moment as if to collect his thoughts more clearly. “I tried getting to know her better and all, but turns out she had her heart on someone else. That was fine. Nothing I could do.”

I went from feeling jealous, for some reason, to sorry for him. He talked about this Christa girl like she was a diamond in the rough. Noticing his gloom, I dropped down from the counter and nudged him lightly with my arm. He turned his head and looked down at me; his expression softening. 

“It’s okay. Someone will come along and give you all the love you could only dream of.” I tried to make it not sound too corny, but I don’t think it worked. Even still, it seemed to make him feel better.

“One day.” 

I just smiled and walked back to the table so I could push the chairs in. “I hope to meet them one day. It’d be nice to get to know more of your friends.”

“You think?”

“Absolutely. Why wouldn’t I want to meet them?” I turned to look at him. He just stood there looking like a lost puppy. I was beginning to think he was still being affected by the ‘bougie juice’. I sighed and my shoulders slumped downward. “Reiner, are you okay?”

As if coming out of a daze, he blinked multiple times before rubbing his face. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

I looked him over for a moment; a thought burning into my mind as I pondered about what to do. He seemed flustered and not in a good state of mind. I sighed. 

“Wanna stay the night?”

A look of surprise took over his face and he turned to face me. “Stay the night?”

“Yes. Sangria has crippled your nervous system as well as your brain and you’ve become dysfunctional.”

It took a moment for my words to sink in but when they did, he grinned again and started walking over to me. “You gonna make me?”

“I mean, I won’t keep you forcefully. But I also don’t think you’re one hundred percent right now, so I might actually keep you after all. Forcefully.”

“I’d like you to enlighten me on your plan of forcefully detaining me in your apartment.” he was about a foot away from me now. I could smell the aroma of his body wash; it was very pleasant. “What would you do?”

“Well, I…” I started, but as I looked up at his form I couldn’t help but feel a sensation building in my stomach. He seemed closer as the seconds went by and I could just about feel his breath on me. He just looked down at me; his lips pulled into a slight smirk. I gulped. “I don’t know, actually. But I’m up to finding out.”

“Okay then…’ he said before leaning down towards me; his lips getting closer to my ear. I could feel the heat that his body was giving off; that’s how close he was. His breath was hot. “I’ll head home then.”

I knew he was toying with me but I decided to just go for it. I grabbed his forearm with both of my hands and twisted his arm so that it was against his back. I then began to push him towards the couch. He just let out a laugh; he was either easy to overpower or he decided to just go with it. My bets were on the latter.

“You’re going to sit, and we’re going to watch something.”

Once we got to the couch, I gently pushed him down onto it and grabbed the remote before sitting down next to him. 

“Damn, you overpowered me.” he teased. I turned to look at him and saw him staring back at me with a grin. I just grinned back. 

“You’re full of shit.” I said, earning me a chuckle from him. I turned my attention to the tv and clicked through the channels before letting out a gasp. 

“What?” Reiner asked. 

“The Neverending Story! I love this movie.” I Was absolutely ecstatic. I noticed that a good chunk of the movie had already gone by, but that was no issue. I clicked on it and immediately regretted my decision. Of course it was the scene where Atreyu’s horse dies in the swamp of sadness. 

“No!” I exclaimed; my hands clasping on either side of my face. “Not Artax! I didn’t even get to ease into it...just BOOM. There it is.” 

I could feel the couch vibrate and as I turned to face Reiner, I saw that he was trying to surpress his laughter. When he finally noticed that I was looking at him, he just burst out laughing. 

“What on EARTH is so funny?” I asked him. Clearly, he never experienced this pain as a child like I did.

“You are.” 

I just took a deep breath and settled into the couch. I wasn’t ashamed of getting emotional during movies and that wasn’t going to change. “I’ll have you know, this isn’t the first time I’ve gotten emotional over a movie and it surely won’t be the last.”

“That’s fine. I won’t judge.” he said as he leaned back and made himself comfortable. I turned to give him one last coy look and noticed he had his arm draped across the back of the couch behind me. His eyes were glued onto the tv which was surprising for me. I figured a fantasy movie wouldn’t be alluring to him, but this particular scene was rough. I turned my gaze back to the tv just in time for Atreyu’s last attempt to coax his horse out of his depressing state before the screen went black with his screams.

For the most part, Reiner was pretty good about the whole situation. We both watched the movie and had little discussions throughout. There were scenes I got really into; even him. He especially liked the scene where the knight triumphantly rode towards the oracles before getting zapped and fried to death. He just thought it was hilarious.

I found myself starting to drift to sleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, they became harder to open. The heavy feeling came on quick and I eventually started leaning my head back onto the couch with my eyes closed.

“If you’re tired, why not go to bed?” I heard Reiner ask. I couldn’t even think of words to say, I just slowly shook my head in protest. Suddenly, I felt his arm snake around my shoulder and pull me into his side. My head rested against his chest as he continued to hold me against him; his cheek resting on the top of my head. The feeling of his chest rising and falling with every breath started to lull me to sleep and before I knew it, everything went black.


	6. "I Could Stay Like This"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prim can't help but notice something going on with Reiner and ends up going to her friends for some advice. She's given some new information that puts her muscular friend in a whole new light and she's determined to do something about it. Will she delve right into it or let things pan out naturally and, hopefully, will Reiner open up to her in time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I literally just posted a new chapter, but I have so many ideas and I just need to get them out before I forget them all. This chapter may be a bit short but I hope you like it!

The sound of birds chirping gently eased me out from my sleep. I let out a yawn and proceeded to stretch out everything before relaxing my body into the mattress. It was then that I realized I was in my room and my eyes shot open. Remembering that I had dozed off on the couch, I began to question how I got here. 

I turned over to get out of bed and swing my legs over the edge before coming to an abrupt stop. On the floor by my bed rested the sleeping giant Reiner. He had grabbed a pillow and a blanket and made himself a spot right next to me. I couldn’t help but let a smile creep across my face as I took in the sight. He was laying on his stomach with his arms crossed underneath his head; his face tilted towards my direction. I could feel the involuntary blush begin tingling in my cheeks. I turned away and my eyes fell upon my clock. 

“Oh my God-” my hands clamped over my mouth when I realized how loud I was. It was 9:45! We were almost two hours late. I could hear the shuffle of fabric from below and I noticed that Reiner was moving. Guilt washed over me since I knew it was me who woke him. “Shit, I’m sorry!” my words came out as a whisper, but the damage was already done.  
He groaned and pushed himself up off of the floor. “It’s fine…” he turned his body so that he was facing me and sat with one arm outstretched behind him; the other rubbing his face. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s 9:45.”

He finally made eye contact with me and I could see the puffiness in his face from being tired. His hair was ruffled slightly more than it usually was and I could faintly make out some redness in his eyes. “Uh huh.” either he didn’t clue in, or it just didn’t bother him.

“We’re late.”

He just hummed and shrugged his shoulders. “So we go in late? No big deal.”

“Ugh, that’s so embarrassing.” I sighed while reaching over to my side table to grab a hair tie. I placed it in my mouth before combining my fingers through my hair in an attempt to fix it up for the time being. 

“So stay home.”

“You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“Sometimes. Not all the time.” he said before stretching out his arms. When he was finished, he continued to sit on the floor for a moment. His gaze was on the floor and I could tell he was still tired. 

“Hey, why don’t you lay down here.” I said as I got up off the bed. I fluffed the blankets up before folding them down halfway. “The floor must’ve been uncomfortable.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” he finally stood up and made his way closer to the bed. “But sure, I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“Besides, I’m sure you’re the one who moved me up here. You could’ve just left me on the couch or told me to go upstairs so you could sleep.” I said as I moved away so he could lay down. He sat down on the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes again. He mumbled something but I couldn’t quite make it out. “Pardon?”

“I said, I could’ve stayed like that all night but figured you’d want your bed.” his voice was so groggy. 

“Oh,” the comment took me by surprise. “Well...thanks for thinking of me. I hope I wasn’t too difficult to bring up with my deadweight.” Even though I tried making a joke I felt a blush coming on again. The truth was that I probably could have stayed on the couch, too. I wouldn’t admit it though. I ended up making my way towards my dresser to pick out some clothes for the day.

“Nah, you were fine.” he reassured before laying down on the bed. “So, are we staying in then?”

After grabbing my clothes, I made my way to my closet in order to grab a fresh towel. “Might as well. I have plans today anyway. My mom and brother are heading up once he gets out of school.”

Reiner didn’t say anything and I thought he had fallen back asleep already. However, when I turned back around to make my way towards the bathroom, I noticed he was just staring at the ceiling. “You alright?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking.” 

I giggled a bit and stopped in front of the doorway of the bathroom. “Don’t tell me you’re still buzzed.”

When I saw him grin, a sense of relief washed over me. “No, just tired. I couldn’t reach the converter when the movie ended last night so I ended up staying up until the tv shut off itself.” 

“Why couldn’t you reach it?” I asked. He must’ve been staring at the tv for about 45 minutes to an hour after the movie ended. 

“I didn’t want to wake you.”

I just sighed and placed my clothes and towel on the bathroom counter before walking over to him. I brought the blanket up over his waist and went to close the curtains, blacking out the entire room. “You know, for a sweaty bear man, you’re pretty considerate.”

He laughed and I could faintly make out his hand as he ran it through his hair. “I’m gonna end up hunting you down after every practice just to give you sweaty bear man hugs.”

“And I’ll probably love it.”

Before he could say anything, I just walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. Even I didn’t understand why I said that; in my head I was just trying to be funny. But then I realized how that comment could have come off and I instantly felt embarrassed. Oh well; it was done now. Once I gathered myself, I started to run the shower before getting undressed. Just to make sure, I took one glance behind me to make sure the door was, in fact, closed. _He wouldn’t try to come in, would he?_

Soon enough, I was in the shower. I decided to try out my new lilac shampoo and felt in absolute heaven when the smell took over the entire room. If I could stay in the shower all day, I would. But the hot water would run out eventually and I had stuff to do. 

About 10 minutes later, I finally turned the water off. As I went to open the shower curtain, I hesitated. Some looming thought in the back of my head surfaced and I started to wonder if Reiner had let himself in. I slowly pulled it back and peeked around the corner; a sigh of relief escaping me when I realized the door was still closed.

Once I was dressed, I hung my towel back up and began brushing my teeth. The bathroom was cooling down fast since I had the window open which was, in turn, clearing the window from any fog. When I finished brushing, I quickly applied some eyeliner before throwing my clothes in the hamper and leaving the bathroom. My room was still dark, so I carefully made my way across to my side table to grab my phone. As I reached for it, Reiner grabbed my wrist. I gasped, not expecting that at all since I thought he had fallen asleep. I just froze on the spot and waited for him to say something. I could faintly make out his form shift and turn towards me before he spoke in his groggy morning voice. 

“Wake me up in an hour?”

Phew. “You sure that’s all you want? I can go do errands and stuff while you sleep. It’s fine.”

“I’ll help you out and get out of your hair before your family comes.” with that, he let go of me and turned back onto his stomach; his arms cozying up under the pillow as he rested his head. “Promise.”

I just smiled and ruffled his hair before making my way over to the door. “Sleep, princess. I’ll wake you up when I get back. I’ll only be a couple hours.”

He said nothing, which probably meant he had dozed off. I started to wonder exactly how late he had been up for. I also started to think there must be something else going on. The closer we got, the more he seemed to be vulnerable. I mean, I guess it was nice to know he felt comfortable around me already. But what could have possibly happened in his life to make him so...confused? Insecure? Depressed, even? I couldn’t even pin the emotion down because I wasn’t exactly sure. But he’s conflicted about something. I know that much. I’d find out soon enough.

~ 

“So he stayed at your place overnight?” Sasha asked with a full mouth. I decided to join her and Connie at the deli for lunch. I took a sip of my drink and nodded. “Are you guys…?”

“Gosh, no.” I said, furrowing my brows together. “No. We just chilled. He probably would have gone home last night but he literally got tipsy off of sangria.”

“You’re kidding.” Connie sputtered; droplets of his drink flew from his mouth before he sent himself into a coughing fit. I guess that’s what he gets for laughing while drinking soda. “Ugh, man. One sec.”

I just laughed at him as I took another bite of my sandwich. Sasha cleared her throat. 

“Mans must be a lightweight or something.” 

After finishing my bite and washing it down with some soda, I shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel like something is going on. I guess with Bertholdt being sick and all, he didn’t want to bother him. He needed a friend last night but I don’t know why.” 

“Probably all that Laura bullshit.” Connie scoffed. “That girl’s a tool.”

“Are you sure he never did anything to her?” I asked; the words flowing from my lips so fast that I didn’t even process them before they did. Connie and Sasha looked at me silently for a moment. 

“Prim,” Sasha began. “Why?”

“I...I don’t know. The whole situation just seems to bother him. I feel like there’s more to it.”

Connie pulled himself closer to the table. “He never did anything to her. He would never hit a girl, are you insane? He absolutely hates that shit.”

“Okay,” I said. “So what do you think is going on?”

“This is just hearsay, but I heard my teachers talking about it one day as I brought the attendance down. Reiner was off school for about two weeks after these allegations came out.”

I felt a knot form in the pit of my stomach and gulped. 

“Connie,” Sasha began. “ I don’t think this is something you should talk about.”

“Well, Reiner will never talk about it but if he’s taken a liking to Prim, I think she should know. Then again, it’s just hearsay.”

“What happened, Connie?” I asked, a little agitated. He turned to me and hesitated a moment before speaking; his voice hushed.

“Reiner’s mom and dad were never together for the longest time. I don’t even think he grew up with him around. His mom was never really affectionate towards him either. She never showed him how proud she was of him or anything; she probably never was, honestly. And he lived every day trying to prove himself to her.” my heart started to break already as I listened. Sasha just stared down at the table and kept quiet. “This, I know as a fact. I heard it from Annie. But, getting back to the point. He was halfway through highschool when the guy showed back up and tried to play dad. And his mom just let him waltz back in after all that damn time.”

“The hell?” I whispered. “That’s so shitty. Let me guess; she was all over him and gave him all the attention that her son needed that whole time.”

Connie nodded. “When the whole Laura bullshit happened, the school obviously informed his parents. You think they would’ve spoken to him about it? Nope. He got home after school one day and once he got through the door, his dad just started going at him. Beat him bad.”

My hand flew up to cover my mouth in complete shock. I couldn’t imagine that. The knot in my stomach got worse and I felt sick. 

“His mom was there too. All she did was watch. When he came back to school, he was so distant. I think one of his teachers noticed the change and found out. The school got involved, and I’m pretty sure that’s when I heard them talking about it. Something about how he got beat up bad and there was some kind of investigation going on.”

“That’s absolutely disgusting. Oh my God, I don’t even know what to say.” was all I managed to muster. I lost my appetite then and there. “Where’s his dad now?”

“I don’t know. Some people say he got put in jail. Others say he left on his own. Regardless, his mom got pissed and blamed him for ‘ruining her life again’.”

I suddenly felt a sense of regret. Now I know why he said he’d get out of my hair when my family came over. Maybe a whole family dynamic felt weird to him because he’s never experienced a real one for himself. I felt tears start to well up in my eyes but I held them back. I placed my hands on the table and stood up. 

“I’m gonna go.”

Sasha looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. “Aw, so soon?”

“Sorry. Hey, maybe you guys can come over on the weekend? My mom and brother want to meet my friends. She has a thing about ‘adopting’ the friends I make as her own. Just tell her you like her food; she’ll be happy.”

Sasha’s face beamed with excitement. “Heck YES! I’ll be there. Coming, Connie?”

Connie nodded. “Sure, I’ll come. See you tomorrow Prim. Are you going to talk to Reiner?”

“I don’t know. I think I won’t be too direct; I’ll just pry in little ways. See if he’ll open up. Anyways, thanks for meeting me for lunch guys. I’ll see you later.” I tossed my garbage into the bin and grabbed my bag before giving my friends a smile and wave. Next stop was the store for groceries and then home.

~

As I walked through my front door, I noticed it was really quiet. I guess Reiner hadn’t woken up yet. I locked the door behind me and placed my keys on the accent table before taking the groceries over to the kitchen. Before I started unpacking everything, I thought that I better go check on him.

I made my way upstairs quietly and knocked on my door; I didn’t want to waltz in on him changing or anything. When I heard him groan in response to the knock, I just grinned and opened the door. Some light illuminated half of the room as I walked in. I slowly made my way over to the window and opened the curtains; flooding the room with even more light. I turned to look at him and he was now on his back with his hands on his face. 

“Hey sleepy head.” I said as I made my way over to the bed and sat next to him. “I did all the errands I had to do. Thought I’d come check on you before I started anything else.”

“Yeah?” he mumbled through his hands before folding them over his abdomen. 

“Mhm. Is there a problem with that? I said I’d let you sleep.”

He contemplated that for a moment; his eyes never leaving the ceiling. “You’ve got family coming still, right?”

“I do, and I’d like you to stay. My mom and brother want to meet my friends while they’re here. I’m sure they’ll like you.”

I found myself staring at him again. Everything about him was just so perfect. I couldn’t understand how someone like him wouldn’t make his own parents proud; if what Connie said was true. As much as I wanted to ask, I kept it in. It was then that he turned to me; his gaze falling on mine. Embarrassed, I looked away and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear out of pure nervousness. 

“Well, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I just think it’d be nice.”

Just as I finished speaking, I felt two large arms wrap around me. Reiner sat up just enough to grab me and pull me back down onto the bed with him. I felt butterflies in my stomach as he pulled my back against his chest; the warmth from his body feeling absolutely divine. I felt his head rest against mine as he inhaled deeply; letting it go slowly. If I wasn’t mistaken, I was pretty sure I could feel his heartbeat through his chest. 

“You know what else is nice?” he asked. 

“What?” I asked, still in shock by what just happened.

“This.”

My cheeks burned and my heart rate increased. I couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so I just stayed there. After a short while, I settled and relaxed in his hold. We stayed like this for a bit and all I could do was question everything up until this point. Did friends do this? Or…?

“Can I ask you something?” his voice seemed more alert now for the first time since yesterday evening. I must’ve been dozing off because it startled me. 

“Yeah, sure. What is it?”

“When you said you’d love it, did you mean it? Or were you just teasing?”

I thought for a moment to understand what he was talking about and then remembered our exchange before I went for my morning shower. I could hear his breathing get deeper; he was probably nervous as he waited for my answer. I decided I wouldn’t try to beat around the bush and just be honest with him. Especially after the conversation I had with the others earlier, I didn’t want him feeling lied to.

“I meant it. And if your real hugs, not teasing hugs, are anything comparable to this, I might be the one chasing you after practices.”

I expected him to laugh at my comment but he did nothing of the sort. Instead, I felt his arm gently wrap around my waist; pulling me even closer. I felt him nuzzle his face into my hair now as an alleviated sigh escaped him. Without thinking, I placed my arm overtop of his and breathed my own sigh of content. We stayed like this for a short while and simply enjoyed the other’s company in silence.

After about 10-15 minutes, I spoke.

“Reiner?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you gonna fall asleep again?”

“No.”

“Wanna get up now?”

“No.”

“Can I get up now?”

“I’d rather you not, but it’s up to you.”

I grinned and suppressed a laugh. I guess I could stay like this for a little while longer. Once he realized I was going to stay, I could feel him smile against my hair. He was right; this was nice.


	7. They've Arrived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prim's mom and brother finally stop by for the weekend. Her mom insists to meet every single one of her friends that she can and ends up mistaking the new neighbor as one of them. He's not nearly as timid as he was when Reiner was around and Prim is definitely taken by surprise. Tensions rise and she begins to wish her mom never invited him in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a little carried away with this one. Hope you like!

The sound of my phone ringing roused me from my sleep and absolute panic set in as I realized what time it was. It was 4:00 PM. I looked around and noticed that I was still in my room, and so was Reiner. We must’ve fallen asleep and had quite the nap.

“Shit,” I hissed as I reached over to the side table to retrieve my phone. Reiner’s arms tightened around me as I did this in an effort to pull me back. I’d almost forgotten that we fell asleep this way. I laid back down and answered before turning down the call volume. “Hello?”

“Hey sweetie!” my mom exclaimed. Despite my efforts, I’m sure Reiner and my neighbors could hear her. “We’re just taking a pit stop halfway; your brother wanted to get an iced cappuccino.” 

I was relieved. “Ah, good. I was worried you were here already; I kind of fell asleep.”

“Oh, psh. Don’t worry. Are you still going on about getting the place ready for us?”

“Well, yeah mom. You guys are visiting and I want my place to be presentable.”

“I’m your mother. The only thing I care about is seeing you; not how clean your house is.”

I guess she had a point. I let out a sigh before rubbing my eyes with my free hand. “Alright. I won’t stress about it.”

“Remember, Primrose. I’m not your father. I’m not going to get a certain type of way if something isn’t cleaned properly. Or anything for that matter.”

My breath hitched at the comment and I really hoped that Reiner didn’t hear it. The fact that he moved his head slightly to look at me told me otherwise. I knew if I turned to look at him, he’d be staring right at me. I kept my gaze to the wall. “Yeah, I know.”

Mom’s voice got quieter, I assume so Connor wouldn’t hear. “Have you heard from him at all?”

“No, I haven’t. I’m not complaining, though.”

“Good. It’s better that way.” 

It bothered me that she asked that. “Why’d he come up in conversation?”

“Sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just sure once he catches word that his first born is attending college, he’ll try to weasel his way back in somehow.”

“Yeah well if he tries that, I’ll dropkick his ass and smash his face in.” I sat up from the bed now; Reiner’s grip loosening. I could feel him shift on the bed as well, but he remained quiet. 

“Primrose.”

“Mom, I don’t want to talk about him. I’m glad you and Connor are almost here; I’ll go tidy up and start some dinner.”

“Prim, I said you didn’t have to.”

“It’s fine. I want to. Love you mom. Say hi to Connor for me.”

Before she could say anything, I hung up and tossed my phone onto the side table. I placed my legs over the side of the bed and just sat there for a moment thinking about what my mom just said. Any time she brought up that moron, I wanted to just throw myself into a wall. I noticed Reiner had also come to sit on the edge of the bed. 

“Prim?”

I inhaled deeply before turning to face him; my lips pulled into a slight smile. “Yeah?” 

He wasn’t having it. At. All. He stared at me intently while studying my face. I bet he was hoping I would break, but I’ve put up with this for so many years that it hardly ever happens anymore. Thank God. 

“You’re not fooling me.”

“What?”

“I heard pretty much all of that.”

My smile faded almost instantly and I looked away from him before standing up. “It’s fine. Come on, let’s go downstairs.” I grabbed my phone and placed it in my back pocket before opening the door and heading downstairs.

Looking around, I realized the place was pretty clean after all. At least I had my work cut out for me. It was then that I noticed the creaking floorboards behind me as Reiner made his way downstairs. I wondered if he’d bring up the conversation with my mom again or if he’d leave it be. I turned to look at him. “Well, we had a nice lazy day didn’t we?”

“We did.” he replied as he walked past me and to the kitchen sink. He proceeded to get himself a glass of water and lean against the counter to drink it. “I think we needed it, though.”

As I got my own glass, I started thinking of where I’d be putting my mom and my brother while they stayed. Were they even going to be staying here or would they be getting a hotel? I pulled my phone out again and called my mom. It kept ringing, so I guessed she was driving. Just as I was about to hang up, Connor answered the phone.

“Hey, you big loser.”

My face contorted into that of shock and disgust. “I’m a big loser? Look who’s talking.”

“What do you want, looooooser? Mom’s driving.”

I could hear mom in the background telling him to stop being rude, but this is Connor we’re talking about. He doesn’t care. 

“Well, this looooooooser wants to know if you and mom are staying with me or getting a hotel?”

“Mom, Prim wants to know if we’re staying with her or getting a hotel.” he waited a few seconds until mom gave her reply. “She says we’re getting a hotel but we’re coming to stop by and visit first. She already has a redemption.”

“A redemption?”

“Yeah.”

“You mean a reservation.”

“No, redemption.”

I rolled my eyes and couldn’t contain my smile. “Child, it’s a reservation. You reserve a room. It’s a reservation.”

“Okay, know it all. We’ll see you later. You better have good food.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I have all my vegetables waiting just for you.”

He then proceeded to scream before hanging up the phone. I don’t know how I made it this long dealing with that kid. I loved him to bits, though. 

“Your brother?”

I turned and saw Reiner still leaning against the counter but with his hands in his pockets. He actually seemed pretty inquisitive about the situation now. “Yeah, that was him. He thinks he’s a smartass.”

He chuckled and raised one hand to rub the back of his neck. “You sure you want me to stick around? I don’t want to impose.”

“Oh, stop. I think it’ll be good. Maybe Connor will like you and cease to torment me for at least 10 minutes.” I said, which earned me a laugh from him. Finally. 

He sighed in defeat before walking over to the living room window. He parted the sheer curtains again and looked around outside. As much as I wanted to bring up what Connie told me earlier, I knew it wasn’t my place. I didn’t even know if it was true or not; but if it was, it was no surprise Reiner felt so hesitant. 

“It’s okay,” I said as I walked over and took a seat on the couch. “I understand if you’d rather go home. Besides, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

He turned to me and our gazes met again. I could see relief all over his face and I instantly felt guilty. Had I been making him feel pressured to stay?  
“I’m sorry, Prim. It’s nothing against you. Or your mom. Or your brother…” he came over and sat next to me; his hands running through his hair. “I’m not too sure what’s wrong, I just-”

I instinctively placed my hand on his lap and smiled. He turned to me and he looked on edge at first, but calmed down when he saw that I wasn’t really upset at all. “You don’t need to explain. It’s okay. Go see how Bertholdt’s doing. Oh,” I stood up quickly and made my way over to the fridge. I reached in and grabbed the casserole dish from last night and placed it on the counter. “Bring him some bastard lasagna; maybe he will like it. I’ll put some extra in here for you, too.”

I started to dig through my cupboards in order to find where Mom had stashed my tupperware containers. Soon enough, I found two of them that seemed like the perfect serving size. I could see Reiner watching me from my peripheral. I just smiled. 

Once I had the containers ready, I put them in a plastic bag and tied it up before walking over to Reiner’s bag and placing it all inside. “And if you change your mind and want to come back, you can.”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“For sure.”

As I closed the bag up, I couldn’t help but notice something. I felt pretty stupid that it didn’t really click before, but there’s no point in dwelling on it now. I noticed that Reiner’s personality changed a lot when he wasn’t at the college. When we’re around more people, he’s tough, strong and he can be pretty goofy at times. Sasha and Connie were right; he was looked up to by others. There’s been a few times I’ve noticed Eren having a bad day and Reiner’s always the one talking him through his issues. Although he’s got that quality to him around the others, I also see that when he’s alone or with me, he’s withdrawn most of the time. He’s hardly the person he is when he’s in a public light. 

“You alright?”

I was pulled back from my thoughts by his voice and quickly turned to face him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He looked at me for a moment before turning his gaze to the floor and inhaling deeply. As he exhaled, he stood up and walked over to where his bag was. I was kind of feeling sad that he was leaving, but I also knew it wasn’t like he was leaving for good. Maybe I should try having my friends over more often; I might just be lonely living by myself after all. 

“I’ll head out now. Thanks for putting up with me.” he said as he swung his back over his shoulder. 

“No worries. It was nice to have company over for once. I’ve never really had anyone over for the night yet.”

“Is that right?”

“Yup.”

He stared at me for a few seconds as if he didn’t believe it. Probably out of everyone, Sasha and I were the closest and she still hasn’t stayed the night. Suddenly, Reiner reached towards me and pulled me into a warm hug. I couldn’t help but smile as I hugged him back. 

“I’ll see you around.” he said before letting me go. As he walked towards the door, I followed behind. 

“Yeah. Message when you get home?”

He opened the door halfway and looked back to shoot a quick grin. “Yeah, I will.”

And just like that, I was alone again. 

~ 

“So he stayed the night, huh? How’d it go?” Connie asked. I could hear the ruffle of a chip bag through the phone. Before I could answer, Sasha chimed in. 

“Yeah! Last we spoke, you said he was kinda down in the dumps.”

I was lounging on the couch while looking out the window. It was nice to just relax and talk on the phone; I almost forgot three way calls were a thing. 

“I guess that’s one way to put it.” I muttered. “Yeah, it was nice. It wasn’t exactly planned but, like I said, I didn’t want him going home alone like that. Y’know?”

“Mmhmm.” Connie must’ve shoved his face with more chips since that was all I could hear from him. 

“Did he sleep on the couch? Or did you two…-” Sasha stifled a giggle and I couldn’t help but blush. 

“N-no! We didn’t do anything.” I exclaimed. I tried not to get too defensive since that would just hurt my case. “I fell asleep watching a movie in the living room, actually. But I woke up in my bed.”

“Ohhhh, so he carried you to bed? Aw, that’s romantic. Isn’t it, Connie?” 

“I mean, he could’ve just brought her up to be nice.” Connie replied. I could hear the crinkle of the bag as he must’ve balled it up to throw away. “But yeah, sounds like a romance to me.”

I just rolled my eyes. “Okay guys, it’s not like that.” My voice faltered a bit as I remembered that things did get a bit emotional, if anything. I could feel the butterflies fill my stomach again as I remembered us napping in the bed together.

“Sure it isn’t.” Connie said. “Anyways, I gotta head back to work. Jean’s going home now so I gotta get out there on time.”

Sasha whined. “Can’t you tell your boss you feel sick? Just blame it on me.”

“But you’re not even sick anymore.”

“I feel better but your boss doesn’t know that.”

I just laughed at them. “Okay, I’ll probably head out, too. My mom and brother will be here any minute.”

“Oh!” Sasha exclaimed. “That’s right! Think I can come by tomorrow to meet them?”

“Sure, as long as you really do feel better.” I said. I could hear her squee on the other end with excitement. 

We finished saying our goodbyes and hung up. Almost on cue, I heard the doorbell ring. I quickly got off the couch and went to make my way to the door when I noticed something from the corner of my eye. Turning my gaze to my stairs, I could’ve sworn I saw a shadow on the landing of my stairs. When I looked though, it was gone. Oh please don’t tell me this place is haunted.

Brushing that aside, I went over to the door and looked through the peephole. A smile spread across my face as I opened the door to see Mom and Connor standing there.

“Sweetie!” My mom shouted as she pulled me into a tight hug. “Oh, look at you!”

I hugged her back. “Mom, I haven't exactly grown since the last time I saw you.”

She let me go and just brushed the comment aside. “Just seeing you answer the door to your own place makes me a little emotional.”

I laughed a little and looked at Connor who was just standing there with his hands in his pockets. “Look at you,” I said. “You look like you can beat me up now!”

He grinned wide and showed me his fists. “I can! Wanna see?”

“Hah, no. Why don’t you guys come inside first?” I asked as I moved out of the way. Mom placed a hand behind Connor and ushered him inside before I shut the door behind us. 

“Oh Prim, I’m surprised at how tidy it is.” Mom said in amazement as she scoped out the place. I shot her a questioning glance; she probably didn’t see it though since she was too busy inspecting everything.

“It’s only me. Do you think I’m destructive on my own?”

“Come on,” she scoffed as she eyed the sink. Her eyebrows raised in approval as she noticed there were no dishes. “You’ve lived with me for nearly your whole life until this point. I know what kind of mess you can make on your own.”

I watched as Connor made a bee line right for my couch and turned on the tv. “Any games, Prim?” he asked. 

“Uh, yeah. The Playstation should be hooked up. Have at it.” I said. Just as I was about to join him on the couch, I heard a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, so naturally I was nervous to answer the door. Had Reiner changed his mind and come back after all?

“Oh, are you expecting someone?” Mom asked as she placed her coat over the back of one of the dining chairs. 

“No, I’m not.” I said as I checked the peephole again. Well, it wasn’t Reiner.

I opened the door and saw Reese standing there. He had a sheepish look on his face. “Hey, Prim.”

“Hey Reese. How’ve you been?” I asked. I didn’t exactly know how to politely tell him I had someone else over again, but I was sure he’d figure it out eventually. 

“Ah pretty good. Getting used to being in a new place.” he raised a hand to rub the back of his head. “I was uh, wondering if you wanted to go check out Freedom Tea?”

“Oh,” I gave a small nervous laugh. “I work there. Actually, I-”

“Is it a friend of yours, Prim?” I heard Mom’s voice get louder as she walked up behind me. Once she made eye contact with Reese she smiled wide. “Oh, hi there! I’m Prim’s mom. What’s your name?”

“N-nice to meet you. I’m Reese.” he seemed nervous and looked back at me. “Sorry, I’m always bothering you when you have company. I can go-”

“Oh don’t be silly!” Mom exclaimed. “I told Prim I wanted to meet all of her friends.” he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Invite him in honey, it’s fine. Then we can all go to the tea place after supper.”

Before I could say anything, Reese suddenly beamed up.

“Really? Thanks! I...I really appreciate it.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell Mom I wasn’t exactly friends with him since we’ve only met once. Instead, I just kept quiet. I made my way back inside and sat next to Connor; Reese found a spot on the other couch. 

Mom put something in the oven and made her way over to us. 

“What’cha got there?” I asked as I eyes the oven. 

“Oh I just bought a frozen lasagna. I figured you didn’t want to cook and I knew I wouldn’t be up to it after the drive.” she sat down beside me and smiled. “So. How have things been going?”

“Pretty good.” I said, trying to keep my gaze at the TV. Connor was completely glued to the game he was playing, and Mom noticed. 

“Connor. Where’s your manners?”

“What?” he asked as he continued to play. 

“Prim’s friend is here. Have you said hello?”

“Hi.” He said; his eyes flicking over to Reese quickly before returning to his game.

“Hi.” Reese replied. I was expecting him to be uncomfortable but he seemed completely at ease just sitting there with everyone. I found it odd. 

Mom cleared her throat. “So, are any of your other friends going to stop by?”

“Yeah, I told Sasha and Connie you were coming.” I replied. 

“Oh yeah, I remember you talking about them. Do you think they’ll be at the tea place?”

“Maybe.” I said, my voice sounding hopeful. “I’ll send them a message and see if they want to head there tonight.”

Reese suddenly spoke; his voice coming as a surprise. It wasn’t as nearly timid as it was before. “What about your other friend? The one that was here?”

“Oh, no he’s probably busy.”

“Wasn’t he just here last night?”

My gaze turned to him; confusion all over my face. He knew Reiner was here earlier, but how did he know he was here overnight?

“Prim!” Mom gasped. “You had a boy here overnight?”

“Uh oh.” Connor said while still glued to his game. I turned to Mom and shook my head.

“Nothing like that, mom. He’s just a friend.”

“If he’s a friend,” Reese began. “Why isn’t he here?”

I turned back to Reese and I couldn’t help but feel agitated. “Because he has things to do? I don’t know? Does it matter?”

Mom could tell I was getting agitated and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, hey. Don’t get defensive. It’s okay. I’m sure I won’t meet all of your friends over this weekend alone. But you had a boy here? He didn’t try anything, did he?”

“No, mom. He’s not like that. He’s respectful.” I huffed and stood up. I turned to look at her and gave her a reassuring smile. “Trust me, I think you’ll like him.”

She smiled back at me. “I trust you, sweetie.”

With that, I turned and looked at Reese again. He was staring at me with a smirk on his face and his elbows propped up on the back of the couch. What was his deal? 

~  
“PRIM!” I heard Sasha shout as we all walked into Levi’s tea shop. She quickly made her way over and wrapped me up in a hug. “Levi took your advice and is trying the bubble tea thing. So far, it’s doing pretty well!” 

I hugged her back and smiled. “Oh wow, that’s good.” my eyes scanned the room until I found Levi. He was at the cash with Mikasa; both of them working through the line like it was nothing. “Think I should go help them?”

“Oh please, it’s your day off. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

My mom walked up beside me with Connor and smiled. “You must be Sasha! Prim tells me so much about you.”

Sasha’s eyes lit up and her cheeks grew red. “That’s me! It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well, sweetie! This is Prim’s younger brother, Connor.” Mom nudged him in the arm slightly which made him look up at Sasha. 

“Hi.”

Sasha let out a giggle. “Hi Connor.”

Mom smiled and then looked around the place. “So, this is where you work, huh? It’s very clean.”

“Ah, yeah. My boss is pretty good at cleaning.”

“That might explain why your house is more spotless than I would have imagined.” she said with a grin. Before I could reply, she started laughing. “Oh, I’m kidding! Here, let’s grab a table. Why don’t you go order something? Take my card.” she started to rummage through her purse but I shook my head. 

“No, it’s okay. My treat. What would you all like?”

“Surprise me! Nothing too sweet. As for your brother, you know him.” she said as she took her seat. I watched as both Connor and Reese sat down as well. I almost forgot he was there and I couldn’t help but feel heated just seeing him there.

I turned to make my way over to the counter and Sasha followed. Once we lined up, she leaned in and whispered. 

“So, who’s the guy?”

“That’s my neighbor.”

“Oh, the one with the cookies?” 

I sighed. “Yeah. Him.”

Sasha noticed my tone and gave me a questioning look. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s not supposed to be here. My knocked on the door while my mom was there and she invited him in, thinking he was my friend. I thought he’d feel awkward and back off, but he came in.”

“Oh...that is weird. Maybe he’s just trying to make friends?”

“I don’t know.” I turned to look over at them again and saw that he was talking with my mom and laughing. I rolled my eyes and exhaled deeply. Sasha noticed.

“Okay so what’s on your mind?” she asked matter-of-factly. “You’re irritated.”

“He brought Reiner up to my mom and made him seem like an ass for wanting to go home today.”

“Wait a minute, didn’t he come by when Reiner was there?”

“Yeah, he did!”

“And he left you guys alone?”

“Mhmm.” it was our turn at the counter and we were greeted, surprisingly nicely, by Levi. 

“Hey brats.” he said before looking at me. “I took your advice and you’re right. People really like this bubble tea stuff.”

I smiled. “See? Told you. Do I get any royalties from the sales today?”

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Maybe. Now what do you want?”

I took a quick look at the menu and tried to guess what the others would like. After a brief mental debate, I turned back to Levi. “I’ll get one black strawberry tea with rainbow jelly. One mango tea with mango jelly. One jasmine tea with tapioca. One peach tea with coconut jelly, and…” I turned to Sasha. “What would you like? On me.”

“Really?! Oh Prim, you’re so nice. I’ll try the dragon fruit with passionfruit and tapioca, please.”

Once Levi was done typing it all in, a small paper printed off from the register and he passed it to Mikasa. As she came to grab it, she noticed we were standing there and gave us a little wave. 

“Oh, hey Prim. Hey Sasha. I hope you like the teas.”

“I’m sure we will!” Sasha exclaimed before following Mikasa around the counter to where she made the drinks. I started to go through my wallet to pay for my order until suddenly, Levi tapped my hand with his. 

“Don’t worry about it, brat. Consider this your royalty.”

“Oh, thanks! You’ve been really generous lately.” I said as I closed my wallet back up. 

“Yeah, yeah. So what? Now go get your drinks before I change my mind.” if I wasn’t mistaken, I could swear I saw him get a little colour to his cheeks. His gaze was towards the door and when I turned to look, I noticed Professor Erwin walk in. As he walked over to the counter, I noticed Levi quickly wiped down the counter before fixing his sleeves; rolling them back up into place. 

“Hello, Levi. Primrose.” Professor Erwin said once he got to us. I gave a slight wave. 

“Hi Professor.”

“I wanted to come by and try the new tea. Everyone on campus is raving about it.” he said while looking at Levi. Levi just brushed the hair from his eyes and placed an arm on the counter. 

“Well, take a look and see what you’d like. Or do you want a recommendation?”

“I would trust you to make a recommendation for me. You know me best.” 

I noticed that when Erwin said this, Levi looked down at the register and his cheeks started to turn red. Realization was dawning on me and I couldn’t help but grin a little bit. If I wasn’t mistaken, Levi must have feelings for Erwin. My grin turned into a smile and I cleared my throat. 

“Alright, well I’ll go get my drinks now. It was nice seeing you, Professor! Thanks again, Levi.”

Erwin smiled and gave me a nod while Levi continued to look at the register. 

“No problem, brat.”

Once I reached the end of the counter where Mikasa was, I was surprised to see she had already completed all of our drinks and had them waiting. “Oh wow, Mikasa. That was quick!”

“It’s no problem, really. Who’s your friend?” 

She must’ve meant Reese. I sighed and grabbed the tray of drinks she had waiting for me. “It’s a semi-long story. He’s not my friend.”

Sasha leaned towards Mikasa and whispered to her briefly before standing up straight again. Mikasa looked back over at Reese intently; her gaze almost piercing. I turned to look at him, thinking that he was doing something to earn such a horrid look from Mikasa, but he wasn’t doing anything other than talking to my mom and Connor. I turned back to Mikasa. “What’s up?”

“I’ve seen him before, but I can’t pin him.”

Sasha and I shared a gaze before shrugging. Mikasa was finally brought out of her trance by Levi who handed her another slip. 

“Hey, wake up. There’s another order.” he said. 

“Sorry.” Mikasa took the paper and looked at it carefully. “Sorry, but I have work to do. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Alright, bye Mikasa.” I said before picking up our drinks and making our way back to the table. Once we were back, I started naming off the drinks and everyone picked what they wanted. Ultimately, I ended up with the black strawberry tea. It was actually really delicious. 

We ended up sitting there for almost a half an hour until we finished our drinks. Throughout that time, Connie had got off work and came by to see us. Him and Connor got along almost immediately; probably because they’re both jokesters in their own weird ways. Armin and Eren also stopped by. Reese ended up talking to everyone which just weirded me out even more. It annoyed me that he just weaseled his way into this situation. I started to think about what Sasha asked and she made a point. Why was he so quick to leave when Reiner was over but not when it came to my mom and brother?

“Primrose?”

I snapped out of my thoughts to my mom’s voice. “Huh? Sorry.”

“It’s okay sweetie. Connor and I are going to head back to your place. Spend some time with your friends.”

“Oh, okay. Here,” I dug through my pockets for the key and handed it to her. “This is the key.”

She smiled and took the key while one of her arms wrapped around Connor’s back. They said their goodbyes to everyone before turning towards the door. I watched as they left and walked down the street, out of sight. Eren leaned back in his chair and looked at me. 

“Your mom is super nice, Prim. Your brother’s cool, too. They’re here for the weekend?”

“Yeah, they are.”

“We should plan something for tomorrow!” he exclaimed. “Connor was saying how he wants to get into skateboarding. We could go to the skate park.”

I chuckled and reached for my empty cup; a few pieces of the jelly were stuck at the bottom. What a waste. “So my family comes up and you guys wanna steal them from me?”

“Hey I don’t mean it like that, I just think it’d be fun.”

“I’m just kidding, Eren. Of course. It’d be nice to get out. Besides, Connor needs that. He must be bored out of his mind without me back home.” 

Connie suddenly let out a huge belch before stretching his arms out; his hands resting at the back of his head. “Don’t worry; we’ll show him the ropes.”

Armin frowned and looked down at the table. “I don’t think I can do anything tomorrow, I have a lot of studying to do. I’ve got a pop quiz on Monday.”

I turned to look at him and smiled. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re not obligated. Don’t feel bad!”

“Okay. Maybe I can spend more time with you guys during their next visit?” he asked before standing from his chair and tucking it in. 

“Absolutely. Don’t sweat it, Armin.”

He smiled and sighed in relief before grabbing his empty cup. “Alright. Well, I’m gonna head home to get a head start on studying. I’ll talk to you guys later.” he turned to Reese and gave an awkward smile before heading towards the door; tossing his cup in the bin along the way. Eren stood up. 

“I better go, too. He’s got the key and I don’t wanna bug him if he’s already studying. Catch you guys later.” 

One by one, by friends started taking their leave until finally, Reese and I were the only ones left. If it weren’t for Mikasa, Levi and Erwin being there, I probably would have had anxiety through the roof. We continued to sit in silence for a bit until finally, Reese spoke. 

“Hey, uh...sorry about earlier,” he said. “I didn’t mean to pry about your friend or make him look bad.”

I said nothing but looked at him, acknowledging what he said with a slight nod. He sighed.

“I had no right. I just wanted to apologize. I’m sure he’s a nice guy.”

“Well, thanks for apologizing.” I said; my tone coming out rather snappy. “Well, I better head back home. I don’t want my mom and brother to be sitting there by themselves for too long.”

“I’ll come. Besides, we live next door to each other.”

Next door? Wonderful. 

“Alright.” was all I could muster before heading to the door. Soon enough, we started walking back home.

The walk wasn’t too bad. We talked a bit and got to know each other more. Even though everything seemed alright, I still couldn’t wait to just go our separate ways. I tried chalking it all up to his initial comments about Reiner being the reason why I was still hesitant to speak to him. I took my phone out of my pocket and opened it up. I noticed then that I had texts from Reiner and I quickly opened them. 

_Hey, just got in._ That was from about 2 hours ago.

_Hope you’re not mad. I’ll come by tomorrow if it’s okay with you. BTW, Berty likes the food. He says thanks._

I smiled and started texting back. 

_Hey! Sorry, just getting these. Glad he likes the food. See you tomorrow. :)_

“Do you like him?”

I was pulled from my thoughts by Reese’s voice. I didn’t realize we were almost home; just a few houses down. “Huh?”

“Is that the guy from yesterday?” he asked; his hands in his pockets. 

“Yeah, it’s him. Why are you looking at my phone?”

“Sorry. You’ve just been quiet and then suddenly you’re all happy and typing away.”

I was not liking the way he was talking to me and I immediately stopped in my tracks. “Look. The only reason you even came along is because my mom thought you were one of my friends. I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking to me like I have some kind of obligation to you. I hardly even know you.”

He raised his hands in defense and raised his eyebrows. “Sorry, jeez. Chill. Yeah I guess so.”

My phone went off again but I chose to ignore it at least until I got inside. If I got one more remark from Reese I’d probably end up throwing his ass in a dumpster. Finally, I reached my front steps and noticed he had stopped literally at the house next to mine. Why’d he had to live so close?

“Bye, Reese.” I said as I reached for my door. I didn’t even give him a chance to say anything as I quickly went inside and locked the door behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I took my shoes off and turned off the porch light. Mom and Connor were sitting on the couch watching tv. 

“Hey, sweetie. I was going to suggest we play a board game, but your brother is pretty tired. We were gonna head back to the hotel. Do you wanna come?”

“Oh, it’s okay mom. You guys can go ahead.” I said as I walked over. “He’s tired?”

“It was a long drive.” she said as she ruffled up his hair. “I’ll call you in the morning when we’ve woken up. Maybe we can get breakfast?”

I smiled. “Yeah, that’ll be nice. Besides, I’ve got an assignment to do. But we’ll do breakfast.”

Mom stood up and walked over to the dining chair to grab her jacket and purse. “I’d like to meet the boy that was here yesterday. Your friends speak nicely of him and if he’s been staying here, I’d like to get to know him. Reiner, was it?”

I sighed. “Mom, he only stayed once. It’s really not that big of a deal, and yeah. That’s his name.”

“Primrose.”

“Okay, you win. I’ll invite him. But I won’t force him to come.”

She just smiled before grabbing Connor’s jacket. “Come on Connor, let’s head out. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

I watched as Connor reluctantly got up off of the couch and grabbed his jacket from Mom. “Okay. Bye Prim. Your friends are cool, by the way.”

I laughed. “Yeah?”

“But soon, they’ll be my friends and you’ll be begging to hang out with us.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t doubt it.”

Mom just laughed. “Okay, you two.” she reached out and pulled me into a hug before planting a kiss on my cheek. “Look for somewhere we can go tomorrow. My treat.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Mom. Goodnight Connor.”

“Goodnight, sweetie.” she said before opening the front door. “Your key is on the counter. See you tomorrow!”

I watched as they walked over to the car; my gaze never leaving until they were finally down the road and out of sight. I let out another sigh before closing and locking the door again. I turned the tv off and went over to the kitchen. I was expecting to clean up before heading upstairs, but Mom beat me to it. That made my night easier. I happily turned off all of the lights and made my way upstairs to get ready for bed. 

Once I was in my pajamas, I laid down on the bed and turned on my bedside lamp. I pulled my phone out and saw a message from Reiner. I’d almost forgotten. I smiled, seeing that he only sent a smiley face. I inhaled deeply before beginning to type a new message. 

_My mom wants me to invite you to breakfast tomorrow. Idk where we’re going, haven’t decided that yet. If you wanna come just let me know. No pressure. Goodnight :)_

I felt like I just asked him out. I leaned my head back against the headboard and closed my eyes; anxiety creeping up on me. I didn’t want him to think I was trying to be pushy. I did say he didn’t have to come if he didn’t want to. Almost instantly, my phone went off again and I looked at the screen. He’d already replied. 

_Love to. See you in the morning. Night, Prim :*_

I’m so glad I was alone otherwise I would’ve embarrassed myself with my ridiculous smile. Did he really send me a kissy face?

I plugged my phone in and placed it on the side table before getting under the covers. At least I could say my night ended on a good note. Tomorrow was going to be a good day.


	8. Mother Knows Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the second day of Prim's visit with her mom and brother. What kind of shenanigans would they be up to today? Would Reiner keep his word and actually show up like he said he would?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know. It's been published already but I literally cannot stop writing. T.T Enjoy!

Waking up was relatively easy the next morning. I was excited to spend time with Mom and Connor and I was also hoping Reiner would keep his word about breakfast. Once I got out of bed I walked over to my window and opened the curtains. It was a beautiful fall morning with clear skies. I smiled and let out a long yawn before looking down at my phone. I saw there was a message; it was from Reiner. 

_Morning. When do you want me over by?_

_Good morning. :) Just getting up now. Gonna shower. Maybe within an hour or so?_

_Will do. See you soon._

I got a sudden rush of energy and quickly made my way into the bathroom for my morning shower. I didn’t know why, but whenever I expect company, I can never have a peaceful shower. I managed to wash my hair and body up within 10 minutes and got back out. The windows weren’t even fogged up by the time I was done. Once I towel dried my hair, I wrapped the towel around me and headed to my room to get dressed. While I was rummaging through my drawers for something to wear, I couldn’t help but notice something was off in the reflection in my mirror. My eyes fixed on something on the ceiling and I turned around. I took a few steps closer to it and noticed it was the attic entrance; it was wedged open slightly. 

“What the-” I breathed as I backed up from it. “That’s just friggin creepy.”

I stared at it for the entire duration of me getting dressed. I didn’t even have a ladder so that I could close it back up. My heart rate increased a bit as I remembered the shadow I saw yesterday. What if my house was actually haunted?

I grabbed my towel and hung it up in the bathroom before darting back into my room to grab my phone. I found myself looking at the attic door again. I still couldn’t understand why it was slightly ajar. Could an animal have done that? A raccoon, maybe?

Once I creeped myself out enough, I quickly made my way downstairs. I stood in the middle of the kitchen while pondering what I could do about the door. I looked at the dining chairs and tried to imagine myself climbing up on them, but even still, it’d be too far of a reach. Just then, there was a knock at my door. I quickly made my way over and didn’t even check to see who it was before opening it up wide. There stood Reiner with two cups in his hands and a surprisingly soft smile across his face. 

“Morning.” he said as he handed one of the cups to me. “Got you a tea.”

I was so relieved and smiled wide. “Thanks!” I said as I took the cup from him and moved aside. “Come in. You’re just in time.”

“Oh?” he asked as he came inside. I shut the door behind him. 

“Yeah. I just got downstairs.” I said as I went to sit down at the dining table.

He took his shoes off and made his way over to me. “Did you sleep good?”

“Yeah, oddly enough.” I said as I took a sip of the tea. I was shocked when I realized it was a London Fog. “How’d you know?” 

He chuckled and took a sip of his own drink before placing it on the table. “I asked Levi what drink you get a lot and I went with it.”

I felt a blush creep across my face again. “Ah, I see.”

He just smiled slightly and stood next to the table; his eyes wandering around the place. It was then I remembered the attic. 

“Oh, hey. Reiner.”

“Hmm?” he turned to me. “Yeah?”

“I need your help with something upstairs. Can you come up?”

He looked a bit puzzled but turned to follow me as I made my way upstairs. Once we reached my room, I walked towards my dresser before turning and pointing at the attic. I wanted to be as far away from it as I could. He followed where I was pointing to and I could see his brows furrowed together. 

“The hell?” he cursed under his breath. “How’d it open?”

“No idea. It wasn’t like that last night. Even with a chair, I wouldn’t be able to reach it.”

He turned to look around the room and went to grab my desk chair. I made my way over to the bed and sat on it while watching him intently. He placed the chair underneath the attic door and stood up on it. As he reached up, I couldn’t help but notice his shirt lift up; his hip bones and the skin just below his navel showing slightly. I turned my gaze to what he was doing and hoped he didn’t catch me staring. 

I watched as he pushed the attic entrance open and moved it out of the way. He then reached up and proceeded to pull himself up; a gasp escaped me as I watched half of his body disappear into the ceiling. 

“Reiner! What are you doing?”

He stayed like that for a few moments before letting himself back down again. He closed off the entrance and pulled the ‘door’ back down. Thank goodness there was a little groove in it for someone to easily grab it with. He reached up and pushed on it briefly and when it wouldn’t budge with his desired amount of force, he finally got off the chair. 

“I wanted to see what was up there.” he said as he picked the chair up and put it back. I scooted myself over to the edge of the bed. 

“And? What did you see?”

“Well, I figured there’d be an animal or something. But nothing was there.” there was concern in his voice and it didn’t take a genius to notice that. I just waited patiently for him to continue. He turned towards me and walked over to the bed before sitting down on it. “All of the units are connected. I could see every single attic space clear down each direction of this block of houses.”

My eyes widened as he said that. “So...a raccoon didn’t open it.”

“What? No. A raccoon, Prim? Really?”

“Hey, it was the only logical thing I could think of. It was only wedged open.” I started to ponder a bit and ended up worrying myself with the possibilities. I thought of those online videos of people who live in other people’s attics and only come out when the house is empty or the occupants are sleeping. 

“Well, it wasn’t a raccoon.” he said as he crossed his arms. I noticed he was looking back at the attic. 

“What could it have been then?”

He hesitated for a moment while he thought of what to say. Eventually, he just sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Beats me.”

We sat there quietly and continued to ponder when suddenly, my phone rang. It was Mom. I answered it and put the phone up to my ear.

“Hey, good morning.” I said. 

“Good morning, sweetie! I hope you slept well.” Mom said excitedly. “Now, I know I said you could pick. But your brother found a place on the internet and it looks really good! It’s called ‘Mamas’.”

“Mamas, huh?” I repeated while looking at Reiner. He nodded in approval; I’m guessing he’s been there before. “Sounds good to me. Want us to meet you there or-”

“Us? Oh, is your friend there? What’s his name...Reiner, right?” she sounded excited and I couldn’t help but giggle a bit. 

“Yes, Mom. He’s here.” I noticed Reiner look away; just not quick enough for me to not notice a blush creep across his face. 

“Oh good! I can’t wait to meet him. I’m not kidding, Prim. Your friends spoke very well of him.”

“I’m sure they did,” I clicked the speaker button so that I could multitask with her on the phone. I hoped she wouldn’t embarrass me while I looked up where this place was. “Oh, it’s only a 15 minute walk away. We can just meet you there. What time are you thinking?”

“Oh, I don’t know. How’s 10:30? Is that too early?”

“Mom, it’s breakfast. 10:30 is good.” I got carried away by looking through the menu while Mom stayed on speaker. “Oh, sweet. They’ve got eggs benedict.”

“Super exciting. I haven’t had that in years.” she said. “Well, I’ll see you and Reiner when we get there. I have to wake up Connor and throw him in the shower.”

I just laughed. “Okay, make sure he actually uses soap.”

“I will. Okay, love you sweetie! Can’t wait to see you, two!”

“Love you too, Mom. See you.”

Once she hung up, I looked over at Reiner and saw that he was smiling while looking down at the floor. I closed my phone and put it in my pocket before nudging his arm. “You good?”

“She’s excited to meet me, huh?”

“She is. She met everyone yesterday and I guess they talked her ear off while I was in line at Levi’s.”

He chuckled and stood up. His demeanor was different today than it was yesterday. He definitely didn’t seem so closed off and hesitant to do anything. It made me glad and I couldn’t help but smile. 

“Well, we don’t wanna be late now do we?”

~

As Reiner and I finally reached Mama’s, we took a seat on the benches outside and waited for Mom and Connor. The walk was pretty nice. It wasn’t too cold or hot this morning; it was just right. We were sitting for about 5 minutes until, finally, Mom pulled up. I could see she was already smiling as she turned the car off and opened her door. Connor got out of the car quickly and ran up to where we sat. 

“Hi Prim!” he said happily. I looked at him; wondering why he was in such a good mood. 

“Hey Connor. Someone’s happy today.”

The car beeped as Mom locked it and made her way towards us. “He is very happy today. He’s looking forward to skateboarding today with your friends.” she said before turning to Reiner. “You must be Reiner. It’s so good to meet you!”

“It’s good to meet you, too.” He said as he stood up and held his hand out to Mom; her eyes lighting up as she took his hand and shook it firmly. I could tell she was impressed and all I could do was smirk.  
Connor watched this exchange and turned to Reiner himself before holding out his own hand. “And I’m Connor.”

Reiner looked down at him and smiled as he took Connor’s hand now for a handshake. “Hi Connor. Nice to meet you, too.”

I just let out a slight laugh as I noticed Connor’s facial expression soften. He seemed pretty happy around my friends and I couldn’t help but be glad about it. Mom noticed it too because she just stood and watched with a smile on her face. I cleared my throat. 

“Shall we head in?” I asked. Mom was the first one to the door as she held it open for us to go inside. 

“Yes, go on in.”

~

As we sat there and waited for our food, Mom and Connor got to know Reiner and vice versa. This get together was far less stressful than the one last night. It wouldn’t have been that stressful if Reese wasn’t there. I found myself dazing out again and only came back to reality when I felt mom place her hand on my shoulder. 

“Primrose?”

“Oh, sorry.” I said; snapping out of it. 

“Child, you still do that?”

“Do what?” I asked, turning to her. 

“Daze out of reality. Lost in your thoughts.”

“Oh. Yeah, uh...sometimes.”

She just gave me a suspicious smile before clearing her throat. “I was just telling Reiner about our lovely outing last night.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, turning my gaze to Reiner. I noticed he looked a little on edge. I immediately felt dread in the pit of my stomach. I hope she didn’t mention anything about Reese.

“Oh yes. And how all your friends got along wonderfully with Connor. I’ve got to say, Prim, you’ve picked a lovely bunch. Even that Reese boy was kind.”

And she did.

I closed my eyes and exhaled briefly before looking at Reiner again. He just picked up his glass of water and took a sip; his eyes never leaving mine. 

“Uh, yeah. I guess.”

She noticed the change in my tone. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine, mom. Let’s just enjoy our breakfast.”

“It’s not here yet.” she said as she shifted her body towards me. “I know that look and that tone. What’s wrong?”

There was no getting out of it and if I didn’t clear the air, she’d just continue to pry. I took a sip of my water before responding and I did my best to keep my tone neutral. “I didn’t want to tell you in front of Reese, but I only met him once before. He’s not really a friend...just my new neighbor.”

“Oh! Oh Prim, I’m sorry!” she said while raising her hand to her mouth. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry, Prim.”

“It’s okay, Mom. He probably won’t be talking to me anytime soon anyway, I had to put my foot down with him last night.” Reiner’s expression became intense and I had to look away. 

“What do you mean?” Mom asked; her tone changed. “What did he do?”

“He was just becoming nosey too quickly and I didn’t like it. I told him I didn’t appreciate how he was talking to me like I owed him something.” I took another sip of my drink. “Let’s just forget about it. Now we all know he’s not really a friend. He weirds me out, anyway.”

Saved by the bell; our food had arrived. Soon enough, we were enjoying our breakfasts while discussing what to do later on that day. 

~

Reiner and I stood in front of the car while Mom and Connor got ready to leave. Mom came around to me and gave me a quick hug. 

“Thank you for coming, sweetie. I just need to run back to the hotel for about a half hour or so and I can head over to your place. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, Mom. That’s fine. I’ll be there.” I said as I hugged her back. When she let go, she turned to Reiner and held her arms out to him. It was sweet to see that he accepted her hug without hesitation and, for a moment, he seemed perfectly happy. 

“Oh and it was so good to meet you too, Reiner. Will you be at Prim’s later?” she asked as she pulled away, not wanting to smother him. 

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” he said before turning his gaze to Connor who had now walked up to him. He just smiled at him. “I’ll see you later, buddy.”

I watched as Reiner and Connor did a little handshake that they literally made together over the span of breakfast. When they finished, Reiner reached his hand up to ruffle up Connor’s hair and smiled. Connor gave a cheeky grin before heading to the car. 

“Wow, and we don’t even have a secret handshake. This kid is stealing all my friends.” I mumbled while crossing my arms. Reiner just chuckled. 

“Okay Prim,” Mom said as she opened her door. “I’ll call you when I’m on my way. You sure you don’t want a ride?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s nice out.” I reassured her as I waved. She gave one final wave and smile before getting in the car and starting the engine. I watched again as they pulled away and drove off; turning out of the parking lot. 

I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly before turning to look at Reiner. His gaze was fixed on the direction the car went in before he finally noticed me staring. I smiled and nudged his arm. 

“So? Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yeah, it was nice. Thanks for letting me tag along.”

It didn’t take too long before we started to walk back to my place. On the walk, he told me how Bertholdt was doing. As of now, he was feeling better but just wanted to stay one more day at home to make sure he was perfectly fine. That was understandable. Eventually, the topic I was dreading finally came up. Reiner cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets. 

“So, Reese came by?”

I rolled my eyes. “Ugh. Yeah. He knocked shortly after Mom and Connor got there.”

He was quiet and just stared at the ground as he walked. 

“He only came in because she thought he was my friend.”

“Why didn’t you tell her otherwise?”

“I don’t know, I-” I shrugged, trying to find the words. “Because I’m a doormat and didn’t want to seem mean.”

Something was bothering him. I watched as he brought one hand up to rub the back of his neck; probably out of nervousness. “You’d think he’d have left you alone like he did when I was there.”

“That’s what Sasha was saying.” I said; my voice getting softer. “We don’t get it either.”

As if he knew I was getting tense, he reached over and pulled me into his side. My arm instinctively wrapped around his waist as we continued to walk like this. Finally, he broke the silence. His voice was calm. 

“I don’t want to scare you, but I think we need to drill that attic opening shut.”

My eyes widened after that registered in my mind. I said nothing. 

“Prim?”

“I know, I heard you. I just...I don’t know. That’s really creepy to think of.” I suddenly remembered the weird shadows I started to see every now and then. I also remembered the missing items I’ve expressed concern about. Surely we were over reacting. 

“Are you not telling me something?” he asked. 

I could finally make out my street up ahead and couldn’t help the feeling of impending doom as we neared it. “I can’t remember if I told you, but I’ve had items go missing a few times. I misplaced a comb once, but also a towel went missing while I had a shower.” a knot grew in the pit of my stomach as I said that. The thought of someone coming into the bathroom while I showered to take my towel made me feel sick. I hesitated before continuing. “I’ve also started seeing weird shadows and movement out of the corner of my eye. I’ve heard creaking, too.”

“You should get out of there, Prim. That’s concerning.”

As we neared the front steps, I turned my back towards Reese’s place. I didn’t want to see him looking at me through the windows. “No, I’m not going to run away. We don’t even know if this is the truth or not.”

“That’s a lot of weird shit to be happening, Prim.’ he said while crossing his arms. I saw him look up at the apartment behind me. “Is that where he is?”

“Yeah, why do you think I have my back turned?”

“I should go talk to him.” he grumbled before uncrossing his arms and letting them drop to his sides; his hands balling into fists. He took a few steps towards Reese’s front steps. I quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him from going any further.

“What? No, Reiner. Don’t you think it’s kind of far fetched?”

“Your attic was literally open. They’re all connected. I’m willing to bet my college career that it’s him.” he turned to me now; his expression serious. I shook my head. 

“Please, don’t do anything. We need to be one hundred percent sure before we go accusing someone of that. That’s creepy stalker behaviour. I mean, he’s weird but I don’t think he’d do that.” The more I denied it out loud, the less tense I felt. I was calming myself down and I didn’t know if that was a good idea or not.

Reiner stared at me for a moment before relaxing his hands and turning back towards me. He looked like he had a lot more to say but just kept it bottled up. “Fine. But you need to install a camera or something to watch that attic. Please.”

“Fine.” I said. “Let’s go inside now.” 

I still had a hold of Reiner’s arm as I walked up to my door; pulling him along as I went. As I unlocked the door, I noticed he was still staring at Reese’s apartment. I just sighed as I finally opened the door and walked inside. Once I kicked my shoes off, I went to go sit on the couch. Just when I thought I’d got rid of the dreadful feeling, it came back. I ended up pulling my phone out to check my messages and saw Eren had sent me a message about a half hour ago. 

_Still down for today?_

I smiled and text him back. It was nice to see that my friends weren’t about to let my brother down.

_Yeah, what time do you want to be there for?_

_How about 2?_

_Works for me. Send me the location and we’ll see you there._

It took a few moments until I got a location. The skate park ended up being just down the road from where all the shops were. That would work out nicely. Maybe we could get some ice cream after, or go back to see Levi for more bubble tea. I was brought back from my thoughts as I felt Reiner sit next to me; his arm reaching across the back of the couch behind me. 

“So, any other movies you like?”

“Oh, you like my movies?” I asked as I leaned back into the couch. He shrugged. “Why don’t you choose something this time? We have a bit before we have to meet at the skate park.”

“Skate park?” he asked inquisitively; raising an eyebrow in the process. 

“Eren and Connie told Connor they’d teach him how to skate.”

“That’s nice of them.”

“Yeah, it is.” I said as I reached for the remote. Once I turned the tv on, I started scrolling to see what was on. It was midday on a Saturday so it was a hit and miss. “Hey, why don’t you invite Bertholdt?”

“Pft, he wants to stay in for one extra day. He’s fine though, but he’s just paranoid.”

“Okay. He can’t say I didn’t try.”

Reiner just chuckled as I continued to scroll through the tv guide. Absolutely nothing was catching my eye. Suddenly, I could feel something in my hair. I realized that Reiner had started to gently run his fingers through it. I turned slightly to look at him and saw that he was looking at the tv guide as well; he probably didn’t even notice what he was doing. I kept my gaze on him until he noticed and when he did, he stopped. He just stared at me for a moment; not knowing what to do. That is, until his devious grin made an appearance and he proceeded to pull me into a hug; both of us falling over on the couch. The remote fell from my hand and I reached up to grab one of his arms. 

“Hey!” I exclaimed as I tried holding in my laughter. “I was trying to find something to watch.”

“You were taking too long.” He said as he pulled me on top of him. “Let’s just nap, instead.”

If I wasn’t so worried about crushing him beneath my weight, I probably would have not been so self conscious in the moment. Then again, the guy was built like a tank. I looked up at him; his shoulders were propped up on the arm of the couch which, thankfully, had a cushion for support. His leg that was closest to the back of the couch was bent, allowing room for my lower half to snuggle between him and the couch. I almost didn’t even notice the butterflies; they are always so frequent when it comes to him. 

“I think you just wanted an excuse to cuddle on the couch again.” I said matter-of-factly. He just grinned. 

“You think so?”

I just rolled my eyes and smiled as I reached down for the remote. Once I grabbed a hold of it, I laid back down against his chest and continued flipping through the guide. Finally, I found something. “There we go.” 

He turned to look at the tv with one arm resting behind his head and the other draped over my back. “Top 100 countdown?”

“Why not? Maybe we’ll discover some new songs.” I said as I reached to place the remote on the coffee table. As I got comfortable again, I felt his grip on my back get tighter. I just smiled wide; he couldn’t see anyway. 

We stayed like that for a while. Some songs I liked, some songs he liked. Some we both liked, and others we just didn’t really care for. There were some music videos that we just absolutely tore apart, whether it was weird effects, acting or what not. We were actually having fun just watching these. Eventually, there was a song that caught our attention and we found ourselves completely transfixed on the tv. It was called ‘Die For You’ by a band called Starset. It wasn’t a typical music video; it was an official lyric video. I wasn’t complaining though. If anything, it made it easier for the lyrics to sink in. As the song went on, I could feel Reiner’s hand trail up to my hair that was sprawled on my back. A shiver went down my spine as he started to run his fingers through it again. I closed my eyes and let out a short breath before nuzzling into his chest some more.

Neither of us dared to say anything until the song was finished. Once the song finally ended, I reached up to tuck a piece of a hair behind my ear. “Wow, that was a really great song.”

“Yeah, it was.” he agreed; his fingers still trailing through my hair. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the sensation while it lasted. If he would’ve kept it up, I probably would’ve fallen asleep by now. 

Just as I was about to doze off, my phone started to ring. I was too comfortable to get up and I groaned. “Reiner, can you get my phone for me?”

“Where is it?” he asked; his voice rumbling. It sounded like he was just about to fall asleep, too. 

“My butt pocket.” I said, only realizing what I’d asked once the words left my mouth. Before I could take it back, I felt his hand reach down and expertly grab my phone before holding up to where I could reach it. I just quietly laughed and took it from him. “Thanks.”

His arm found its spot on my lower back again and I answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey sweetie,” Mom said on the other end. “Sorry, it took a little longer than I anticipated. I’m all done now! What time did you want to go to the skate park?”

“Eren suggested 2:00. Is that okay?”

“That’s perfect. We’ll be over shortly and then we can all walk to the park together.”

“Sounds good to me. See you soon?”

“Yes, see you soon. In about a half hour.”

“Okay. Love you, mom.”

“Love you too, sweetie.”

As I hung up, I held my phone slightly in the air and was pleasantly surprised when Reiner grabbed it and slipped it back into my pocket for me. Once he did that, I felt both of his arms wrap around me; his face nuzzling into my hair as he pulled me closer. 

“You’re so cute when you’re on the phone with your mom.” he said; his comment made me laugh. 

“You jealous?”

“Am I?” 

I leaned up and pulled away from him slightly so I could look at his face. As expected, he was grinning at me, so I grinned right back. “Are you?”

We stared at each other like that for a few moments until I noticed his expression soften. His eyes began to wander over my face and soon, I found myself doing the same. Eventually, our breathing became in tune with each other and I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. One of his hands reached up slowly to brush my hair out of my eyes before gently cupping the side of my face. I wondered then if he could feel my heart beating through my chest while I still lay on him; I could hear it in my ears, that’s how hard it was pounding. His eyes darted down and I realized he was staring at my lips now. I could feel as his hand snaked its way to the back of my head; his fingers softly tangling in my hair before beginning to pull me closer to him. I looked down; my gaze finding his lips too. Just as I reached my hand up to rest along his jaw, the doorbell rang.

We both immediately sat up and fixed ourselves. I did my best to compose myself before standing up and making my way towards the door. When I looked to see who it was, I noticed it was Eren and Connie. I was happy to see they had come by, but in a weird way I also wanted to wring their necks. 

I opened the door and greeted them both with a smile. “Hey guys! I thought we were meeting at the skate park?”

Eren just held his skateboard under his arm and smiled back. “We were in the area practicing, so we thought we’d come by. It’s been a while.”

Connie nodded. “Yeah, I can’t believe I used to use this thing to and from school every day.”

I let a slight laugh escape before moving out of the way. “Do you want to come in? My mom and Connor should be here in a bit.”

“Sure.” Eren said before he and Connie left their boards on the porch and made their way inside. Once everyone was inside, I shut the door and made my way back to the couch. After they took off their shoes, Eren and Connie followed me to the living room. 

“Oh, hey Reiner.” Eren said as he took a seat on the other couch; Connie following behind him. 

“Hey Eren. Connie.” Reiner said calmly. “How’ve you guys been?”

Connie stretched and leaned back into the couch. “Same old over here. Class joker by day, deli dad by night.”  
“Deli dad?” I asked while stifling a laugh. “Did you make that up?”

“Yeah. Just now.” he replied before cackling in laughter. Eren just shook his head. 

“Not much going on, actually. How about you two? What have you been up to?”

“Oh, you know…” I said as I leaned back into the couch. “Just watching tv.”

I turned to look at Reiner just in time to catch him shooting me a grin. I looked away just as quickly and suppressed another blush. 

“If you say so,” Connie said teasingly. “I know that look anywhere.”

“What look?” I asked, turning to him. 

Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door. It must be Mom and Connor. I stood up from the couch and made my way back to the door before checking who it was. I was right. 

I opened the door and Connor gave me the biggest smile. 

“Are you ready, Prim?!” he asked excitedly as he held his skateboard in his arms. His gaze fell upon the boards that were left propped up on my porch and his eyes widened. “Are your friends here?”

I smiled. “They sure are. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes!”

~

I sat on a bench and watched as Eren and Connie took their time to teach Connor the ropes of skateboarding. Mom sat next to me and we both couldn’t help but feel so incredibly happy. Mom was the first one to break the silence; I could hear the tears in her voice. 

“Prim, this is wonderful. Your friends are so kind.”

I turned to look at her and I was taken aback by the tears I saw in her eyes. I smiled shyly; my hand resting on her shoulder in reassurance. 

“They’re great.” I agreed as I turned my gaze back to all of them. Even Reiner was over there helping Connor keep his balance on the board until he could get comfortable on his own. Something about that whole scene made me feel a certain type of way and I found myself feeling all warm and fuzzy. 

“Prim,” Mom began as she wiped her tears away with a small cloth she kept in her purse. I retracted my hand and turned to look at her. 

“Yeah?”

She smiled at me and turned her gaze towards the group with Connor. “I like them. All of them.”

“I’m...glad you do.” I really didn’t know what else to say other than that. She leaned towards me and whispered this time. “I also see how he looks at you. Is something going on?”

I pulled my gaze from them and turned to her again; the shock evident in my facial expression. “What are you talking about?”

“Reiner, obviously. I see him sneak looks at you every now and then. You do the same thing.” 

There was no keeping anything from Mom. She’s had her own rodeos in the past and if I tried lying to her now, it would only end up in further embarrassment for myself. I just took a deep breath and looked down at my hands. That was enough of an answer for her. 

“How long have you liked him for?”

“I don’t know.” I said. It was weird to say that, but I really didn’t know when I started getting feelings for him. It could’ve been the first night he stayed over, or when I stood up for him when it came to Laura. Heck, maybe it was the very moment I met him. I feel like ever since I’ve known him, he’s been giving me unbearable butterflies in my stomach. I looked up at Mom and noticed her smiling. 

“Well,” she began. “If something isn’t already going on, I’m sure it’ll happen soon.”

“Why? What makes you say that?”

“He’s literally glowing. And so are you.”

I hesitated a moment before looking over at Reiner. For once, he finally looked genuinely happy, at least that I’ve seen. The smile never left his face as he continued to assist the others with helping Connor with his board. I found myself smiling, too. Before I knew it, he ended up turning his gaze to me. His smile never faltered and he gave a quick wave before turning back to Connor and the others. 

A sigh escaped me as I leaned back against the bench. I guess mothers know best, after all. Now the question was: Are they ever wrong?


	9. Trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little over a month has gone by now and Prim is heading home after a busy day. She had originally planned to stay in and work on assignments, but something tragic ends up happening. With Reiner out of town, the only person she can count on is Armin. 
> 
> *CONTENT WARNING*  
> -here it is, folks. There is r@pe in this chapter. If you do not want to read it, I will place another warning within the story so you can skip. It isn't graphic, but it is heavily implied and there is discussion of the aftermath in the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was hard to write. I had this stewing for some time. 
> 
> *CONTENT WARNING* 
> 
> As mentioned in the summary, there is r@pe in this chapter. I will place markers in the story itself so you can skip if you would like. The scene is brief and not graphic, but the assault is heavily implied. There is also aftermath in the hospital (ie: testing, conversations, next steps etc).

The next few weeks were a blur and it was already the beginning of December. 

After my first visit with Mom and Connor, I ended up taking Reiner and Bertholdt back to their hometown the following weekend for a visit. I ended up meeting their old childhood friend Annie while we were there. She seemed pretty closed off, which I didn’t really expect. Even still, it was clear Bertholdt really had a soft spot for her. For most of the visit, it was Reiner and I trying to plan little scenarios for them to encourage alone time. Out of everything we had planned, the only thing they ended up wanting to do was go to the movies. Turns out that Annie hates crowds, so we had to wait for the latest show that played that night to make sure not a lot of people were there. Other than that, the visit consisted of lots of nature walks and some reminiscing of the past. 

I kept in touch with Annie when we all got back home. She’s turned out to be quite nice in her own way, so here’s to a new friend added into my hectic and crazy life. Speaking of friends, Charlotte also ended up talking to me as well. Initially, she had reached out to update me on the Laura issue. Laura indeed went to a different college now and the situation has been pretty much swept under the rug. We suspect since her dad is the Dean at our college, he didn’t want word getting around. I mean, I’m pretty sure it already did, but what do I know. Since cutting Laura out of her life, Charlotte has been doing so much better. She’s even come by to hang out some days, which is nice. 

All in all, I’d say I’ve gotten closer to everyone over the past few weeks. Especially Reiner. He ended up staying over quite a bit, actually. The whole attic thing was hard to shake for him; if no one else could stay the night with me, he would. I spent a few nights over at his place, too. Hanging out with him and Bertholdt was surprisingly relaxing. They’re actually pretty quiet and modest within their own four walls. We’ve had some heart to hearts and disagreements, but what kind of friendship doesn’t? He’s still as touchy as ever; maybe even more so. Always hugging, cuddling, playing with my hair...he’s even started giving me quick kisses on my head and cheeks. I wish I wasn’t such a chicken shit because I probably would have already pinned him to a wall and kissed him myself by now. I wasn’t denying it anymore, but I also refuse to make the first move. 

It was Friday and I was finally let out of my last period. I quickly gathered my belongings and made my way towards the door. While making my way through the halls to my locker, Sasha came up to me. 

“Hey, Prim! Found you.” she huffed as she finally squeezed through the last bit of people to get to me. “What are you up to this weekend?”

“Hey Sasha. Oh, not much. I’m scheduled all weekend at the tea shop; I think Levi’s finally taking my second suggestion and incorporating seasonal drinks. He wants me to be there this time when he introduces the new menu.” I said as I finally reached my locker. In a few swift twists of the combination, the lock opened. I proceeded to place a majority of the books that I didn’t need for the weekend onto the shelf. 

“Oh, fun.” she said before she let out a big yawn. “Ugh, girl I’m pooped. I might just go to bed once I get home.”

“Honestly, same.” I giggled a bit before grabbing my winter coat, closing my locker up and locking it again. It was then that I noticed Reiner making his way over. Sasha beamed.  
“Oh, I’ve got somewhere to go now. I’ll see you later?”

“What?! You so don’t have to be anywhere.” I exclaimed before realizing what she was getting at. Before I could say anything, Reiner reached us. 

“Hey ladies.” he said while propping himself against the lockers. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Oh, not at all!” Sasha said. “I was actually just heading out. Connie and I are going to the bowling alley after classes.”

I gave her a suspicious look, knowing for a fact she never brought that up to me. She just smiled wickedly before giving me a quick hug. “Message me when you’re done with your assignments. We’ll probably still be there and maybe you can come?”

“Sure,” I said while hugging her back. Once she let go, I fixed my bag over my shoulder. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“Great. See you, Reiner!” she gave him a slight wave before turning to walk away. He just shook his head with a grin on his face. 

“Have fun.”

I just rolled my eyes and chuckled to myself before turning to face Reiner. He already had his winter coat on and a scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. I didn’t even have my own stuff on yet. “Where are you off to?” I asked as I placed my bag on the ground before putting my coat on.

He turned to face me now; his hands in his coat pockets. “Actually, I came to tell you I’ve gotta head back home this weekend. Bertholdt’s dad needs help fixing his roof.”

“Oh,” I said while zipping up my coat. “But it’s snowing?”

“Yeah, well...we’ve been telling him to get it checked since the summer. Guess he didn’t because now it’s leaking.”

I swung my bag over my shoulder and faced him again. “Well, that’s good that he’s got you guys. I’d offer to come but I’m gonna be super busy this weekend.”

I could tell he was a little disappointed at that, but he masked it pretty well. His eyes wandered around me for a brief moment before he took a few steps towards me. He reached up with both hands and grasped the hood of my coat; bringing it up over my head. “I swear I’m gonna have to end up getting you a hat.”

A blush crept across my face as he fixed up my coat. “I have one, I just forget to bring it.” I said defensively. He just chuckled. 

“Uh huh. I’ll believe it when I see it. So what do you have to do this weekend?”

Once he finished, we started walking down the hall. I cleared my throat and put my hands in my pockets; of course, I didn’t have my gloves on me either. “I’ve got a lot of assignments. That’s pretty much it.”

“Fair enough.”

As we walked outside, the cool air filled my lungs and I closed my eyes. There was something about the smell of fresh snow at the end of the day. When I opened my eyes, I noticed Reiner was staring at me. His expression was soft and I could make out the smallest smile on his lips. “What?”

He continued to stare for a few seconds before sighing and looking away. “Nothing.”

I watched as he took the first few steps down from the main doors and couldn’t help but notice a figure standing off to the side. They were leaning against the wall of the college by themselves and I almost wanted to ask if they were okay...but then I noticed something. 

It was the same person that was watching me at Reiner’s tryouts.

My breath hitched in my throat as I made this realization. I’ve noticed this person lurking around some other times and I made the weird connection that it was never inside the school. It was always outside. 

I immediately turned away from them and made my way over to where Reiner was. He’d almost made it to the sidewalk by that point. “Hey, wait up.” I called out as I reached his side. He didn’t notice this person so I didn’t want to make it into a big deal, especially if he had plans for the weekend. I didn’t want him feeling like he had to stay with me. I knew deep down he was still worried about the attic thing and I didn’t want to add any more stress.

“You okay?” he asked, turning to face me while we walked side by side. I nodded. 

“Yeah, just can’t wait to get home. It’s cold.”

Just as soon as I said that, he reached an arm out and pulled me closer to him. He rubbed his hand up and down my arm in an attempt to warm me up faster. I couldn’t help but smile and lean into him while we walked. 

“So you’re gonna be gone all weekend?”

As he sighed, I could see his breath protrude into the air in front of us. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. “Yeah, we’re leaving tonight. We want to get started as quickly as we can in the morning.”

“That sounds good. I hope you have a good visit.”

I knew something was on his mind because his demeanor changed. When I looked at him, I noticed he was keeping a stoic expression while gazing directly ahead to where we were walking. Not wanting to jeopardize anything, I kept my mouth shut. However, as always, my efforts were in vain since he brought up the topic anyway. 

“You sure you don’t wanna come? You can always work on your assignments there as well.” 

“It’s okay, Reiner. I don’t want to impose on you guys. Besides,” I wrapped my arm around him as the wind picked up. Whenever the gusts got too intense, I just tried to hide in his form. He made a nice shield from the wind, that’s for sure. “I want to get as much time to work on them as possible and I don’t think I’d be able to work on them while we travelled down.”

I could hear him sigh in defeat. “Fair enough.”

I knew what he was thinking. He was worried about me being on my own while he was out of town. I gave him a light squeeze of reassurance and looked up at him. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a weekend.”

He looked down at me and gave a half smile; his gaze soon returning to the sidewalk ahead. Once he looked away, I couldn’t keep from frowning. This was going to be on his mind all weekend until he got back. 

The rest of the walk was quiet. All we could hear were the crunching of our footsteps in the snow and the occasional wind that picked up. We stopped walking once we reached my place and Reiner immediately pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged him back.

“Let me know if anything suspicious happens. Text me, call me; I don’t care what time. Just do it.” he said before letting me go. 

I gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, please. Enjoy your visit, and tell Annie I said hi!”

“I will.” 

I let out a sigh before heading up the steps to unlock my door. As I opened it, I turned and saw Reiner was still standing there. He just wanted to make sure I actually got in before leaving. I gave him one last smile and wave before he finally headed on his way. Once he was out of sight, I locked my door for the night.

~

I had just finished writing up an assignment in the living room. After saving it and closing my laptop, I placed it on the coffee table and made myself comfortable on the couch; my gaze turning towards the window. I smiled as I watched the fluffy snowflakes fall down onto the ground; I wished in that moment that I had a nice hot chocolate to sip on. Suddenly, my phone started to ring. Once I picked it up, I realized it was Armin. 

“Hey, Armin. What’s up?” I asked cheerfully. 

“Hi, Prim! I hope I’m not bugging you. I just wanted to check in.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I just finished the assignment we have due on Monday. For once, I’m a few days ahead of the game.”

He laughed softly in response to that. It was true; I was a huge procrastinator and he couldn’t understand why. “That’s good! I was wondering if you ever managed to get those cameras set up?”

“Cameras?”

“The security ones. Remember?”

I could literally feel the joy I had just seep from my soul as the words registered. Armin had helped me pick out some security cameras weeks ago; back when Reiner checked the attic for the first time. I never ended up installing them because, for one, I’m a procrastinator. Two, I just felt like setting them up would send me into the deeper depths of anxiety. I didn’t know what I’d do if I checked the camera feed and saw something creeping around from the attic and around my place. 

“Oh, uh...no. Not yet. I’ve been okay, though. Nothing’s really happened lately.”

“How about I come by and help set them up?”

I thought about it for a moment since I did decline Reiner’s invitation due to my assignments. Then again, this was Armin after all. He would understand and maybe even offer to help. I did have another small assignment from another one of our classes anyway, so we could work on it together. 

“Alright. I’ll just have a quick shower then. When will you head over?”

“I can make my way over now, I’ll just grab my things and be on my way.”

“Okay, I’ll leave the key under the mat for you. See you in a bit!”

“Sounds good. Bye, Prim!”

Once I hung up, I made my way over to the door and grabbed my key from the accent table. I opened the door and stood out on the porch before placing the key under the mat. As I stood back up, I noticed Reese was standing out on his porch as well. My eyes widened and I hoped to God he didn’t notice me out there. Before I could even see his reaction, I turned and went back inside. I made sure to close the door quietly and lock it. I couldn’t help shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach. Maybe I should have gone with Reiner after all. 

As I made my way upstairs, I checked my phone one more time. I had no messages, but I figured I’d send Reiner a quick one before Armin got here. 

_Hey, just checking in. Armin’s on his way over to help me with the cameras. Thought you’d appreciate that._

It didn’t take too long to get a response, which honestly wasn’t surprising. 

_I do. Wish I was there._

I just smiled helplessly at his last message as I finally made it to my room. It became a habit to constantly check the attic opening whenever I walked in, and I was pleased to see it was still closed. Soon enough, I made my way to the bathroom to begin my shower. 

My short showers were beginning to improve. I managed to completely wash up in less than 10 minutes and was out of the shower before the mirrors fogged. As I went to reach for my towel, I noticed it was gone. _Again?!_

Anxiety started washing over me and I really contemplated just staying in the bathroom until Armin got there. To make matters worse, my phone was on my side table so it’s not like I could message him to see where he was. I took a moment or two to compose myself; was I over reacting? Maybe I forgot to get a clean towel from last night. That’s the only logical explanation as to why there’s no towel here anymore. 

I took a deep breath before slowly opening the bathroom door. My eyes darted towards the attic and saw it was still closed which was instantly relieving. I felt my muscles relax as I made my way into my room towards the closet for a towel. Once I grabbed one, I wrapped it around me and tucked it in place before turning to head towards my dresser. However, I ended up stopping dead in my tracks. 

There, standing at my dresser with their back facing me was the hooded figure who lurked around the school. I felt my heart rate increase and I froze; I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to speak even if I wanted to. 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop.”

His voice was familliar and my brows furrowed together as I tried putting a face to it. Finally, he turned around and removed his hood and sunglasses; my eyes widened in absolute shock. It was Reese.

“Surprise.” he said with a grin. I noticed he had some of my clothes in his hands. He noticed me staring at my clothes and he dropped them on the ground. “Oh, if you’re wondering,” his hand reached into his pocket and I was so upset to see that he tossed my house key into the air before catching it. “I let myself in. Hope you don’t mind.”

I found my voice again and I could feel the anger begin to build in my gut. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, I came to see you, of course.” He said while taking a few steps towards me; his hand sliding the key into his pocket once again. “I was wondering when you’d finally have a weekend that’s free.”

I found myself backing up towards my bedroom door which only seemed to make him laugh. 

“What’s the matter?” 

“Get out.” I said as I opened the door behind me. “You were not invited. You are not my friend. Get OUT.”

His devious expression fell and it suddenly became dark in nature. Seeing the change in his face made me absolutely terrified. All I could think about now was making it down to the front door since I was almost positive that he locked it again.

“Oh, I’m not your friend? Good, then it makes things a bit easier. I was afraid of the potential guilt.”

I wanted to ask what he meant but decided against it. I didn’t want to humor him at all. Without thinking, I turned and started making my way for the stairs. I got down about half way before I felt his hands clamp into my hair and drag me back up the steps. I let out a scream and I tried hitting his arm away, but to no avail. 

“LET ME GO!” I screamed at him. “REESE!”

Despite my best efforts, he managed to get me back up the stairs and was dragging me back to my room. I dropped to the floor, hoping that deadweight would stop him. It didn’t. 

“Okay I see, wanna play hard to get.” he huffed before picking me up over his shoulders and walking to my room. My fists slammed into his back in a desperate attempt to escape; my screams still echoing throughout the apartment. Once in the room, he slammed the door shut dropped me on the floor. I tried keeping the towel up with one hand while inching myself away from him. I was scared out of my mind. 

“You have no idea how happy I was to see that fucking brute walk away this time and not join you inside.” he said as he closed the windows and shut the blinds. He was talking about Reiner. “And if it wasn’t him that was over, it was your mom or your other friends.”

“So what is it to you?!” I spat. “Get the fuck out of my house, Reese!”

My eyes widened in terror as he made his way over to me before delivering a swift kick to my face. It sent me toppling over on my side; my grip on the towel loosened as I fell. 

“Just shut up! Shut up! And I won’t have to do that!” he yelled back. I reached my hand up to the side of my face that he hit and I winced; it was already starting to swell. I wasn’t about to let him get away with that and I stood up, albeit a bit wobbly.  
“Armin’s on his way, you better leave.” I hissed at him as I fixed the towel again. 

“Oh, and how’s he gonna get in? I locked the door, and I have the key.” grabbed a fistfull of my hair again and tried to drag me over to the bed. I started digging my nails into his arm in an attempt to make him let go, but he didn’t budge. 

“LET ME GO!” I screamed again. He threw me onto the bed and I started to kick at him. His devious grin came back and I realized this was just amusing him. Just then, my phone started going off. I immediately went to go grab it; my heart racing in my chest as I desperately tried to reach it. I was too late though and Reese picked it up. 

“Ah, speak of the devil.” I was horrified to see that he answered the call. “Reiner! Buddy! I hear you’re out of town for the weekend? I thought I’d keep Prim company...you know, cuz apparently there’s a stalker that breaks into her house all the time.” 

I raised my hand to my mouth in an attempt to cover the sob that escaped me. This wasn’t happening. This could not be happening. I went to get up off the bed but then noticed something flash from Reese’s other hand; my eyes widening even more when I realized it was a pocket knife. I was paralyzed in fear yet again.

“Oh, Prim? Yeah, she’s right here.” his tone turned seductive. With a sudden rush of confidence, I screamed. 

“HE’S LYING! REINER, PLEASE HELP M-” 

*CONTENT WARNING. SKIP IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ*

“Ahhhhhhh there we go.” Reese cut me off. “The big secrets out! Truth is, buddy, we were just about to settle down for the night. Why not listen in?” to my horror, I watched as he placed the phone down with the call still on. I couldn’t help the tears the welled up in my eyes as I knew what was about to happen. 

“Aw, why are you crying?” Reese asked as he started to undo his pants. There was no doubt that Reiner could hear what was happening and I could only imagine what was going on in his mind. I could faintly hear his voice through the phone as he yelled. 

“I told you to get OUT! Leave me alone!” in another desperate attempt, I tried to lunge off of the bed but he stopped me. His arms wrapped tightly around me as he pinned me into the mattress this time. “Why...why are you doing this?” I sobbed. The only warmth I could feel now was the tears running down my cheeks. I could only hope that Armin was almost here, if he wasn’t already. 

Reese just laughed as he continued to remove his pants. It didn’t feel like I tried fighting him off enough for me to be exhausted, but I really had no energy. I didn’t know if it was because I was scared or what...I just continued to cry. Reese kissed his teeth. 

“Oh cut it out, you’re gonna make Reiner upset.” he said, his eyes glancing over to the phone before turning back to me. He grabbed the towel I had wrapped around me with one hand and yanked it away. I watched his brows press together as he whistled; my arms quickly rose up to cover myself. “Damn, please tell me I’m the first one to ever see you like this. Eh, Reiner? You’re a lucky guy!”

“Fucking STOP!” I yelled as I tried kicking at him again. Suddenly, as if I had forgoten Reiner was on the phone, I got an idea. “REINER, TELL ARMIN TO CALL THE POLICE! MY DOOR IS LOCKED. PLEASE-”

It was then that Reese picked up the phone and held it to his ear. “Oh shoot, sorry, gotta go now. Bye, buddy!” once he ended the call, he tossed my phone behind him which caused it to hit the wall. He wasted no time in leaning over me and I suddenly felt the coldness of the blade press against my neck. 

“I’ve been waiting so long for this. You have NO idea.” 

I tried struggling out of his grip but the more I did, the more he pressed the blade against me. The fear of him breaking my skin and causing more damage overcame me and I eventually stopped. I didn’t want to...but I felt that in the moment, I had no choice. 

“Don’t fucking move.” he hissed while he propped himself up with one hand and slid his boxers down. 

I suddenly stopped struggling. The tears still fell as everything I hoped would never, ever happen to me, happened. I struggled to have my mind drift to other things so that I wouldn’t be present anymore, but nothing worked. My eyes found the ceiling and I fixed my gaze on the tiny bumps all across its surface. I wasn’t religious, but I prayed too. I prayed and prayed that it would just end soon. 

I don’t know how much time passed, but I suddenly heard thuds coming from downstairs. Finally, the weight lifted from me as Reese began frantically putting his clothes back on. Slowly, I started coming back to reality and finally my door swung open. I saw two officers barge in with their guns out; the ends pointing directly at Reese. Their voices bounced around the room as they demanded he get on his knees with his hands behind his head. It wasn’t long until I heard another voice among theirs, which caught my attention. 

“Prim?!”

I turned my gaze slowly to the door and saw Armin rushing in. His face was contorted in complete horror as he took in the scene. He wasted no time and grabbed the throw blanket from my bed before draping it over me. I felt the weight of his body on the bed now as he cradled me; my gaze finding the ceiling again. 

“Prim!”

It was too much. In moments, my vision blacked out and it was finally quiet.

*CONTENT WARNING END*

~

I could see red through my eyelids from the sunlight blaring in the room. As I slowly came to, I noticed I had a pounding headache. I went to turn my head away from the light but stopped as I felt an excruciating pain from my neck. As I raised my hand to feel my neck, I noticed a fair piece of gauze had been taped to it. Suddenly, my eyes flew open and I realized where I was. I was in the hospital. 

I felt my heart rate increase again as I started to recall the events from last night. 

“Prim.” 

I turned slowly to see who it was and saw that Armin was sitting next to me. He had bags under his eyes and a sad look on his face. I wanted to ask him what we were doing there, but I was afraid of the answer. With that being said, the expression on his face and the pain I felt below confirmed any doubts in my mind and I felt tears begin welling up in my eyes. Armin noticed this and stood from his seat before slowly making his way over to me. 

“Prim, I’m so sorry.” I could hear his voice breaking. He held his arms up hesitantly towards me as if to ask for permission to hold me. I raised my arms to him as high as I could without hurting myself and soon, I was enveloped in a gentle embrace. One of his hands found its way to the top of my head and began to smooth out my hair. “I’m here for you, Prim. Whatever you need.”

I could feel my body tremble as I tried suppressing cries. Just then, a nurse walked in the room and started to pull the curtain divider across my side of the ward. Armin gave me a gentle squeeze before standing up beside the bed. The nurse came over and stood beside me as well; she looked really kind, despite the circumstances. 

“Hi Primrose. I’m Dr.Schmidt. I’m going to be taking care of you today.” she said as warmly as she could. I just nodded slowly in response and turned my gaze to my hands. 

She let out a soft sigh and pulled out her clipboard. “Armin, we met last night. How did you sleep?”

“I got some sleep, so I won’t complain.” He replied. 

“I’m glad you were able to sleep. I need to speak with Primrose right now, but if she would like you to stay, you may.”

I turned my gaze back to her and nodded. “Yes, please.” my voice was a whisper now. My throat must’ve been sore from screaming so much last night. “Let him stay.”

She looked at me and I could tell she was trying to stay positive, but how can you make a situation like this positive? Her gaze fell down to her clipboard as she read over a few things on it. Soon enough, she looked back up at me. 

“We need to perform an exam for you today. It will take a couple hours to complete, but I will try to make it as easy as I can for you. Okay?”  
I looked over at Armin and he just looked so helpless. Even still, he gave me a slight reassuring nodd. I turned back to the doctor and took a deep breath. “Okay.”

“I’ll have you know that the offender has been arrested. He’s not here, so don’t you worry.”

Although I felt a bit of relief knowing he was actually in custody, it still didn’t get rid of the pain I felt. 

~

After a few hours of testing and speaking with numerous people, Armin and I were back in the ward while we waited for results. He sat there quietly with a book while I stared blankly at the doorway. Eventually, a nurse ended up making her way over and held up a plastic bag. 

“Primrose?”

I looked up at her and tried my best to speak. “Yes?” my voice was still a whisper. She smiled at me. 

“I’ve come to give you back your phone. We don’t need it anymore.” she said before opening the bag and handing me my phone. I slowly reached out to take it from her grasp; the dread filling my stomach as I could only imagine how many messages and calls I must have missed. 

“Is there anything I can get you while you wait?” she asked. I just shook my head. “Armin, can I get you anything?”

“No thank you, I’m okay.” he said as he turned his gaze to her. “Thank you, though.”

She just smiled and gave a quick nod before backing out of the room. I could hear her footsteps get quieter as she made her way down the hall again. My gaze turned down towards my phone and I counted down from 10 before I turned it on. When I did, just as expected, I had so many messages and calls. I didn’t even want to open them; just reading them would make this entire situation even worse. Armin must’ve caught wind of what I was struggling with and he closed his book. 

“Hey, Prim. I messaged Reiner already. I only did that because he’s the one who called me.”

I turned to look at him. “Really?”

“Yeah, he…” he hesitated a moment, not wanting to delve into it. 

“It’s okay, you can tell me.” I whispered before turning my gaze back to my phone. I could hear him inhale deeply before letting the air out slowly. 

“He called me as I was on my way to your place. He was frantic. Said he couldn’t get there, that he was almost 2 hours out and they got hit with a snowstorm.” He placed his book on the windowsill and sat up straight in the chair. “I’ve been keeping him updated for you. He said he was trying to get back as quick as he could.”

Hearing that would normally have calmed my nerves, but I couldn’t help this new feeling I had. I couldn’t even describe it. My eyes widened slightly at the thought of other people knowing. “Does anyone else know?”

“No.” He said instantly. “The thought crossed my mind about telling your mom, but you have to make that call. I can’t even imagine…” he stopped. I turned to look at him and noticed his hands were covering his face. I could see through the gap between his palms as he clenched his teeth together in an attempt to hold back tears. “...I’m so sorry, Prim.”

I started to daze off again until suddenly, I could hear footsteps getting closer and closer to the door. I kept my gaze downwards on the bed in front of me; too embarrassed to face anyone else who may come in. Soon enough, they stopped. I knew someone was there and when they didn’t say anything, I slowly turned my gaze towards the doorway to see who it was. My stomach dropped and I felt tears begin to sting my eyes again. 

“Reiner,” I ended up crying his name out even though it was still partly a whisper. His expression was unreadable. Anger, sadness, regret, hurt, I couldn’t pin it. It was probably a mix of all of them and even more. I watched as he quickly made his way over my bedside and stopped as he noticed the gauze on my neck. His eyes began to water as he took in the sight of me. 

“Primrose…” his voice was weak. “Fuck, Prim. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” he carefully took a seat on the bed next to me and gently pulled me into an embrace. I couldn’t help but lean into him and just let the tears fall. One of his arms held me while his other hand gently rubbed circles around my back. “I’m gonna fucking kill him.” 

I didn’t even protest. I just continued to rest against him; my eyes closing as I felt myself succumbing to sleep again. 

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I was roused awake by the voice of Dr.Schmidt. 

“Hi Primrose, it’s Dr.Schmidt again.” 

I pulled away from Reiner slightly so I could make eye contact with her. I noticed she was a little hesitant about him being there. “He’s okay,” I said. My voice was slowly coming back and wasn’t so whispery. “He’s one of my best friends.”

Seeing the relief take over her face was good enough for me. As I rested back against him, she continued to speak. 

“Alright. So I’ve got some results back. Do you want to discuss it alone or are you okay as is?”

“I’m okay as is.”

“Alright,” I could hear her flip through some papers for a few seconds. “So, the good news is that we found nothing in terms of diseases and infections. You are fine, in that regard.” she shook a deep breath before continuing and I braced myself for what she was about to say. “Of course, there is evidence of trauma. We’ve got DNA stored, should you decide to pursue charges. However, the officers on scene were witnesses so the DNA will help solidify the case even more.”

Reiner lowered his head down and placed a kiss on the top of my head. His lips lingered for a few seconds before he rested his cheek on the same spot. I took a deep breath and exhaled as I waited for what else the doctor had to say.

“You mentioned your period ended a few days ago, but I would suggest coming back for a pregnancy test. You can always take one at home, too. If you prefer.” 

I tensed at the thought of it and felt the warm stain of tears on my cheeks again. 

“I know, honey. We will be here for you every step of the way.” the doctor said. “You have wonderful friends here; I’m sure they will help you through this, too. If you have any questions, you can call us at any time.” She grabbed something that was stuck to her clipboard and handed it to Armin. “This is a list of all the support numbers and addresses in case she should need it.” 

Armin took it and looked it over quickly before standing up from his seat. “So, is she good to go home?”

“Yes.” the doctor turned to me and I pulled away from Reiner again in order to look at her. “I’m going to come back with some discharge papers and then you’re good to go. Are you heading back to your house, or will you be staying with anyone?”

I hesitated a moment; the idea of going back home was absolutely terrifying. I didn’t even want to look at the place again. I felt as Reiner brushed some hair out of my face and when I looked at him, he gave me a soft smile. 

“Stay with me. However long you need.”

I almost instantly smiled back and gave a slight nod. When I looked at the doctor again, she smiled and headed out of the room for the papers. Armin made his way over to the bed and placed a hand on my back. 

“I’ll go back to your house and get your things. I’ll come drop it off at Reiner’s place later, or tomorrow if you'd prefer. Okay?”

I finally sat straight up and turned to face Armin. A smile spread across my face as I gave him a light hug. “Thank you Armin, for everything. You’re an amazing friend. Maybe tomorrow will be better.”

He gently wrapped his arms around me in return and smiled. “It’s fine. You take care, okay? And if you guys need anything, don’t be afraid to message me.”

And with that, Armin had taken off, leaving Reiner and I in the room. We continued to wait for the discharge papers to arrive and they honestly couldn't get here fast enough.

~

I was pleasantly surprised and actually quite relieved to find out that Reiner lived in a building with controlled entry and 24 hour concierge. I’m not sure why that only clicked in now; I’ve been here before. If I had lived in a place like this, I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone breaking in ever again. He buzzed himself in and we made our way to the elevator. Once we made it to the 16th floor, the door opened. A few guys that I recognized from the college were waiting to get on and I felt Reiner’s hand quickly grasp my own. It took me by surprise and I immediately felt my stomach flutter. He quickly proceeded to lead me out of the elevator and soon enough, we were outside of his apartment. I heard the little buzz from the keyfob unlocking the door and finally, we were inside. 

Reiner made sure to gently shut the door behind us. For the most part, we were in silence as we settled in. I heard the click of the door locking which made me feel more at ease.

“Bertholdt is probably sleeping but I wouldn’t worry too much. He’s a heavy sleeper.” he said, finally. I kind of figured they lived together since they’ve been friends since they were little kids. “If you want, the bathroom is the first door to the right when you head down the hall.”

I hesitated for a moment before looking around. I know I’ve been here before, but this time it just felt weird and I didn’t know why. With that being said, I knew I’d settle in eventually just like before. “Is it okay if I have a shower?”

“Absolutely. You don’t have to ask.” he reassured me as he walked over to the linen closet. He opened it and grabbed a clean towel. “Do you need another one for your hair?”

I smiled. “Ah, one is okay. Thank you Reiner.”

“I’ll place it on the bathroom counter for you. In the meantime, I’ll make you a tea.”

He’s become incredibly protective and caring in such a short period of time. At a time like this though, I couldn’t be picky or question it much at all. Reiner and Armin have done so much for me already. I smiled at him before taking off my shoes and placing them off to the side. I then slowly made my way towards the bathroom. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to have a shower. It was then that I realized I had no clothes. “Shit.” I cursed under my breath. 

“What’s wrong?” Reiner asked from the kitchen. I just sighed. 

“I have to wait for Armin to bring my stuff.”

“If it’s just clothes, you can borrow mine. Here.” in a flash, he had disappeared down the hall and went into his room. It didn’t take long for him to come back with one black t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. “These are just some clothes I outgrew. They should fit.”

I smiled and took them. “Thanks, Reiner.”

His eyes lingered on my face for a moment and when I noticed, I couldn’t help but turn away. The embarrassment was still there and I felt like I couldn’t face him. With a final deep breath, I made my way to the bathroom to finally have my shower.

Once I was all cleaned up and dressed, I made my way out to the living room. Reiner had prepared a cup of tea just like he said, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. I turned and noticed a light illuminating from one of the bedrooms down the hall and decided to go check it out. When I got there, I saw Reiner fixing up his bed. He had pajama pants on and no shirt which was quite a sight to see. I found myself staring a bit too much and eventually noticed his hair was wet. I realized he had an ensuite bathroom that had a small stand up shower inside, so he must’ve quickly washed up while I was occupied. I looked back to what he was doing and smiled slightly. The sheets and pillows were black and he also had a forest green comforter. Once he was finished, he wiped his brow and turned to pick up the bedding he had pulled off before realizing I was there. He smiled. “How do you feel?” he asked as he made his way over to me. 

“I feel a lot better. My headache is still there, but not as bad.” I said while trying to be optimistic. "I had to take my gauze off in the shower though, it got soaked. It's okay though, I didn't need stitches or anything." I wasn't about to tell him my neck was still sore from when Reese pressed the knife into it. At least the bleeding stopped. 

He looked content. “Okay, well that's good. I uh...I changed the bedding so it’s fresh. You can sleep here. I’ll sleep on the couch.” I saw him eyeing my neck; his brows furrowing with worry. "You sure about your neck? I can get you something to cover it with." 

“It's okay, really." I reassured him before clearing my throat. "Anyways, the couch? But this is your bed.” I said in protest. “You’ve already done so much, I don’t want to kick you out of your bed.”

“It’s fine. You need your space.” he said as he picked up the bedding that was on the floor. He opened his closet and tossed them into the laundry hamper before shutting the door. “Anyway, I did make us some tea to help us sleep. It’s just chamomile and lavender.” 

My gaze was fixed on the bed and how comfortable it looked. Did he really get this all ready just for me? He waited for a moment before clearing his throat. “Or, I can just get the mugs and we can have tea in here if you’d prefer?”

I smiled and turned to him. “That sounds a lot more comfortable.”

He chuckled before making his way out to the living room. I took this time to climb into the bed and get accustomed to where I’d be sleeping. My gaze travelled all around his room. It was pretty organized and clean, much to my surprise. I would’ve expected him to have clothes and sports equipment all over the place, but everything was nice. His room even smelled nice; like sandalwood. Soon enough, he returned with the teas in hand. 

“Here,” he said as he handed it to me. “Not too hot, but still warm enough.”

I thanked him and immediately took a sip. Feeling the warm tea run down my throat was the best feeling ever. It made me feel so relaxed. We sat there in silence and drank our teas while simply enjoying each other's company. I didn’t even realize it at first but I drank the whole cup within a minute. I don’t know if I was thirsty or if I was just desperate to go to bed. Eventually, Reiner finished his mug too and he got up. He took my empty mug and stood in front of me for a moment. It was like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know exactly how. He looked conflicted. 

“You okay?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Yeah, I...I just, uh…” he shook his head and chuckled. “Sorry. I’ll take these out to the kitchen and head to bed, now. If you need anything, just come get me. Okay?”

I could feel my stomach sink. I know he wanted to give me space, but I also didn’t really want to be alone. Besides, I trusted him. He must have noticed my mood change because he set the mugs down on his dresser and made his way back to the bed. He sat in front of me, grabbed one of my hands and held onto it tightly. I looked down at his hands and noticed his knuckles were red; I could tell they were bleeding before. They looked so sore. Even still, he rubbed the top of my knuckles with his thumb in an attempt to reassure me.

“What happened to your hands?” I asked him. 

He took a moment to think of what to say before letting out a sigh. “When I realized I couldn’t get to you fast enough, I was pissed right off. I was scared, angry, worried...everything under the sun. I ended up punching the bricks on the outside of Bertholdt’s house.”

I frowned. Then again, if I were in his position, I don’t know what I would have done. I wasn’t about to judge him. We sat there for a few more moments before he finally pulled away. 

“I’ll just be out there on the couch. Not far at all. Bertholdt is here too. No one’s going to come for you here, I promise.”

“Can you just…” I took a deep breath while trying to find the right words without sounding too clingy. “Can you stay? Just until I fall asleep?”

It seemed like that was all it took for him to surrender. He stood up and made his way over to the light switch and turned it off before coming back to the bed. He didn’t hesitate to climb in and, soon enough, we were both laying down in the darkness. He lifted the blankets over us and kept a respectful distance from me. I could feel the night breeze come in through the window that he had cracked; the curtain flowed gently with it which caused a stream of light to dance around the darkened room. Everything was quiet except for the sound of rustling leaves outside and the wind.

I turned to face Reiner and noticed that he was already facing me. Suddenly, I felt his hand reach up and brush my hair from my face. It was still damp, but he slowly and gently tucked it behind my ear. Eventually, he just started carefully caressing my cheek with the tips of his fingers. It was the side that I got kicked on.

“I’m so sorry.” he whispered in a regretful tone. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

I slowly raised my hand to hold his. I pulled it down to rest between us on the mattress and I closed my eyes. “It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not yours, either. I swear, I’ll kill him.”

Without really thinking, I let go of his hand and moved closer to him. He opened his arms and let me snuggle in against his chest before wrapping me up in a warm embrace. He nuzzled his face against my hair and pressed a kiss on the top of my forehead; his lips lingering a while before he pulled me even closer.

“Do you want me to stay all night?” he asked quietly. 

“Yes.”

“I’ll stay then.” 

I smiled and closed my eyes before letting out a satisfied sigh. Who knew that the guy who came on too strong and annoyed me at first would become the one person I felt absolutely safe with. As our breathing became in sync, like many times before, I found myself slowly dozing off to sleep. Soon enough, everything went black.


	10. Perseverance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prim stays the night at Reiner's after being discharged from the hospital. Despite what happened, she's doing her best to stay strong. The local news broadcast set a damper in everyone's spirits though, and as a result, the information got around. Prim is surprised to find out she's not the only one to experience such a fate at the hands of Reese.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10! Hope you enjoy.

_The sky was clear and the sun was shining bright._

_I was walking along the beach with my gaze out to the water. It sparkled with every ripple of the waves and I could hear the seagulls in the distance. With every step, I felt the warm sand underneath my feet. I was happy._

_My bliss was cut short when suddenly I started to hear screaming coming from all around me. I noticed everyone start to panic and run away; umbrellas toppling over and food getting kicked around in the desperate attempt of escape. But why?_

_As I stood there, I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t even feel anything. The day still remained bright and beautiful as always, and I turned back to the water. Eventually, the screaming ceased. But then it got too quiet._

_I decided to turn back around. I had no idea why, but I felt that I had to. When I did, I noticed there were skeletons all over the beach. The people I had just seen literally just dropped dead. My eyes caught sight of the sky ahead and it was the most horrifying shade of black. I’ve seen dark clouds; almost black before. But I could also see light reflected on them. This sky was solid and was consuming everything as it drew nearer and nearer._

_Panic set in and the bright sky around me started to quickly fade away. As the darkness got closer, everything in its path disappeared with it. I watched as cars, houses, buildings, playgrounds and trees all just disappeared into nothing. I was trapped._

_I turned around and faced the ocean once more and was relieved to see it was still beautiful; the sky was still blue and the sun shone bright above the water. Without thinking, I waded into the water in a desperate attempt to get away from the impending doom behind me. The soft sand turned into sharp rocks beneath my feet which made it so hard to maneuver through the shallow end. I pressed on though, and eventually I couldn’t reach the ground anymore. As I started swimming, the water suddenly became ice cold. I turned to look behind me and saw the darkness reaching the shoreline. Facing the horizon again and seeing that it was still bright, I got a surge of energy and continued to swim. But where was I swimming to?_

_As if it were some sick joke, the sun suddenly disappeared. The sky instantly turned black, but where there were once hues of blue and gulls flying, there were stars instead. It was beautiful, but I couldn’t see anything else but the stars and the occasional glisten of the water in the moonlight. The water became colder and I felt myself slow down. I started to worry about what was underneath me in the water...the idea of something grabbing me and dragging me under became a prominent worry in my mind and I found myself panicking all over again. I turned back to where the shore was and saw that the darkness had indeed stopped there. I could make out a figure standing on the beach, but just like the sky behind them, they reflected no light. They were just a solid black mass of pure darkness. I started to cry._

_Once I turned my gaze back to where I was heading, I noticed a light in the distance. It seemed to come from a veil of mist. As the light drew nearer, I noticed it was a small boat. When it got close enough, I noticed someone sitting in it. They reached over the edge and held out their hand to me, and it was then that I realized it was Charlotte. I took her hand and she helped me onto the boat. I was cold, but there were no blankets. She didn’t smile or say anything to me; she just helped me onto the boat. I started to look around to make sure there really was nothing I could use to warm myself, and when I looked back up, she was gone. In her place was the figure from the beach._

I gasped as my eyes opened; my body drenched in a cold sweat. My mind raced as I tried processing the dream I just had, but I just couldn’t do it. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, I noticed a faint trail of light come from between the curtains behind me. 

My heart rate began to slow back down and I relaxed into the mattress once I realized where I was. I sighed and closed my eyes. It was then that I noticed chatter coming from beyond the door, which was only kept ajar. 

“How did she sleep?” I heard someone ask. It sounded like Bertholdt.  
“Not sure. She didn’t wake up, but she whimpered a lot.” My eyes opened when I heard that; I’d forgotten that Reiner stayed with me the entire night. I slowly began to sit up in the bed and I rubbed my eyes. 

“Damn. I hope she can come through. I can’t imagine…”

“She will.” I heard a chair slide across the floor. “We’ll be there for her.”

“Mhmm.”

Their voices became muffled after that as they started to shuffle around. I looked down at my phone and noticed it was 9:50 on Sunday morning/ I had a text waiting from Levi as well and I panicked; I completely forgot all about the shifts I had this weekend. I hesitated opening the message since I was terrified of what I’d read. 

Once I gathered the courage to do it, I opened the message and read it. 

_Don’t panic, Armin told me you were in the hospital. Said it was serious. Hope you’re okay. Reach out if you need anything. Don’t worry, you still have a job._

I let out a soft laugh as I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. I typed back as quickly as I could. 

_Thanks, Levi. I’m alright. I’ll stop by when I feel better._

Just as I sent it, there was a light knock at the door before Reiner’s voice filled the stillness of the room. 

“Can I come in?”

I placed my phone down on the side table and pulled the blankets off of me; my legs slowly swinging over the side of the bed. “Of course, it’s your room after all.”

He opened the door slowly and I noticed he had a mug in one hand and a plate in the other. “When you’re here, it’s your room, too.” was all he mustered to say as he made his way over. He placed the mug and plate down beside me and it was then that I noticed he’d also brought me some buttered toast and fruit. He leaned down to quickly plant a kiss on the top of my head before taking a seat next to me on the bed. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” I looked at him with a small smile. “Thank you for breakfast.”

“It’s the least I can do.” his eyes wandered over my face and for an instant, I could see pain reflected in his eyes. I noticed he was staring at my cheek and I instinctively raised my hand to it. It wasn’t swollen anymore, but it was still sore. I looked away. 

“Sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing?” he asked. I just shrugged and remembered the gash on my neck. My hand trailed down from my cheek and I could feel the scabbing that had formed in an attempt to heal the wound. I could hear him sigh. “Don’t apologize. Please.” 

“Okay.” 

“Try to eat something. Bertholdt and I are just going to be in the living room. Come out when you’re ready.” he stood up from the bed and placed his hand on my head, gently ruffling my hair. I couldn’t help the smile from appearing on my face, even though it was faint. I looked up at him and noticed he was smiling as well. He hesitated a moment before finally withdrawing his hand and heading back out into the living room. 

I turned my attention to the side table and reached to the mug. As I brought it closer, I noticed that it was a tea. I took a sip and just wanted to melt into the bed; it was so good. I could get used to this. 

Thirty minutes probably passed before I finally finished off what Reiner had brought me. I took a moment to stretch and gather myself before standing up. Once I grabbed the dishes, I started making my way to the door. I stopped, suddenly realizing I hadn’t seen Bertholdt yet. From the sounds of their conversation earlier, he must know what happened. After all, he was with Reiner when he found out what was happening. I felt embarrassed. 

I took a moment to gather my thoughts until I finally pushed the door open so I could get by. If I was going to heal from this, I needed to try and move forward. Accepting the fact that my friends would eventually find out was part of it...as hard as it was. 

As I made my way down the hall and emerged into the common area, I saw that Reiner and Bertholdt were indeed in the living room. The tv was on but all they were doing was scanning through the channels. I quietly made my way over to the sink and placed the dishes in. As I went to start the water, I heard Reiner call out. 

“Did you finish it all?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you. And the tea was great.” I said as I turned on the tap. This caused Reiner to jump up from the couch and make his way over to me. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll do it in a bit.”

“It’s fine, please. There’s only two dishes.”

He just stood there in defeat and watched as I proceeded to wash the two dishes I had. Not even two minutes went by and they were placed into the drying rack. I reached for the kitchen towel and began to dry my hands; my gaze finding his. I just smirked. 

“See?”  
He looked happy and had the faintest smile; I guess seeing me up and about was nice. Once I finished drying my hands, I put the towel back and turned to him. I wanted to say something, but wasn’t quite sure how to word it properly. He just patiently waited until I spoke. 

“This...situation…” I started; my hand making its way up to tuck some stray hair behind my ear. I could see the muscles in his face flex as he clenched his jaw. “I know it’s going to be hard. But I’ll push through. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I’ll get there. And I’ll be okay.” I reached out and put my hand on his cheek. His expression softened; the tension leaving as he sighed. “I just feel like you need to hear that from me.”

“Prim,” he grabbed my hand gently and brought it down before wrapping me in a hug. “I’m happy and content by just seeing you here. Knowing you’re taking care of yourself is the best reassurance I could ever get. And it’s okay if you have days where you just can’t. I’ll help you in any way that I’m able.”

I smiled and hugged him back tightly which earned me a chuckle from him. 

“Look at you,” I could hear the grin in his voice. “Do it again.”

“Is that a challenge?” I asked him, my gaze finding his. We were both grinning at each other then. He just remained silent, so I took it upon myself to give him another squeeze. He started to laugh and I stopped before pulling away. 

“It’s good to see you’ve got your strength back.” he said as he ruffled up my hair again. “Keep it up.”

I just blushed and gave him a slight nod before looking over towards Bertholdt. He was still switching through the channels. I noticed that he was never one to really butt in on conversations, so I decided to go initiate a conversation with him. As I made my way over, I saw that the news came on. Bertholdt let out a gasp as he realized who was on the tv and he quickly changed the channel. 

“Wait, Bertholdt,” I said as I walked over and sat next to him on the couch. “Go back.”

“B-but...Prim-” he began to protest. I just shook my head. 

“Go back. Please.”

He turned to look at Reiner who had made his way over to the back of the couch now. After a few seconds, he reluctantly changed the channel back. There in all his piss ass glory was Reese. Mind you, it was a mugshot, but still. 

“Turn it up, please.” 

As Bertholdt turned it up, the news anchor’s voice became more clear. Her tone was as serious as ever and I felt a knot forming in my stomach again. 

“Friday night wreaked havoc in our small community as a terrifying sexual assault took place inside a row of student townhouses. Reese Fischer of Breezewood was arrested and has been in police custody.”

Hearing that made my blood boil and I found myself on the edge of the couch; my hands clenched on my knees. None of us took our eyes off the tv while Bertholdt’s voice broke the silence between us.

“Prim, are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The camera cut to an officer who I recognized on the scene. “We searched the home and found evidence of forced entry from an attic door. The houses are all attached by their attics, so anyone could have gotten in. Upon further investigation, we discovered a ladder that was hidden underneath tarps behind some of the beams.”

The interviewer spoke. “Is this how the attacker got in before the assault?”

“No. He made it clear to us that he helped himself in through the front door.”

“Do you think he was a friend?”

I gritted my teeth and hissed under my breath. “No, he wasn’t.”

The news anchor came back. “This morning, the courts have issued a bail hearing which will be scheduled for this Friday. Although members of the community think this isn’t long enough, the attacker’s family says otherwise.”

Suddenly, two people showed up on the screen. My guess was that it’s Reese’s parents. My eyes started burning because I was hardly blinking. 

“Reese is a good kid, he never would have done this. Besides, it’s college housing. They were obviously hanging out and drinking-” I was startled by the sudden thud from behind me. I turned and saw Reiner over at the counter; his fists balled and pressed firmly onto its surface. 

The next part of the broadcast had us all staring at the tv with our jaws agape. 

“Fischer was released from police custody this morning on $200 000 bail and is scheduled for a hearing next Monday. This is incredibly hard for the community.”

“What!?” Bertholdt sat up on the edge of the couch now; his hand was grasping the remote so hard I thought he’d break it. “For real? Seriously?!”

I just sat there quietly. Although I started to feel helpless again, I refused to let it show. His parents literally made it seem like it was an atypical frat house weekend. The news anchor showed more emotion and moral capacity than anyone else on the tv, and I was thankful for that. I took a deep breath and stood up from the couch. It was then that I realized everyone would find out what happened soon enough. My friends, Mom and Connor all knew who Reese was. I’m sure a good chunk of people knew I was in the hospital. No one’s that stupid to not be able to connect the dots. 

“Prim.” Reiner said. I turned my gaze to him. 

“Yeah?”

I could tell that he was struggling with finding any words. He just kept turning his gaze from me to the tv. Eventually, Bertholdt just turned it off and Reiner was left staring at a blank screen. 

“He’s out. He’s already fucking out.”

“That’s what happens, I guess. His family’s probably rich.”

“Rich? So what? He…-” he stopped himself, not wanting to continue the sentence. I watched as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “You’re the one who suffered and he just…”

“Reiner.” my voice was firm and I started to make my way over to him. He just looked over at me; his arms slowly dropping to his sides. I stopped in front of him. “I’m not letting him get the best of me.”

~

It was the early afternoon now and Armin was able to drop off my belongings. I ended up having another shower with my own soap and shampoo and finally got changed into my own clothes. As I made my way out of the bathroom and back to the common area, I saw all three of them sitting at the table. A pizza box was propped open on the counter and the smell emanating from it made my stomach rumble. 

“Hey, Prim.” Armin said happily. “Feel better?”

“Oh heck yeah.” I said as I walked over to the counter; my lips pulling into a smile as I realized it was a vegetable pizza inside. “Ah, yes. Veggies.”

“I figured you’d like it since that’s what you always get.” Armin replied before taking another bite. 

I just smiled as I got myself a plate and grabbed a drink. As I walked over to the table, Reiner quickly reached over and pulled the chair beside him out. I placed my stuff down and sat next to him; tucking myself in before opening up my drink. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Reiner said as he lifted his drink to his lips. He leaned his head back as he finished off whatever was left in his can. 

I could literally cut the tension in the air with a knife. The guys just remained quiet while we ate and I couldn’t help but find it weird. Once I finished my slice, I took a sip of my drink. 

“Talk. What are you guys thinking about?”

As if taken by surprise, they all looked at each other. I just sighed. 

“Are you still upset about the news?” I asked. Reiner sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. 

“It was bullshit, Prim. You know it was.”

“I know. But I’m not gonna get anywhere if I stay cooped up. If I want him to pay, I need to be there at the hearing.”

I saw him turn to look at me from the corner of my eye. Once I finished my drink, I turned to face him. “I’m going to it.”

Armin cleared his throat. “I can help you prepare for it, if you want.”

I looked at Armin as I stood up. “Sure. I’d appreciate that a lot, Armin.”

He just gave me a slight smile as he continued to finish off his food. I took this time to gather the dishes and as I went to grab the last plate, Bertholdt reached over. 

“Here, I’ll do these.”

I didn’t resist and gladly let him take over the clean up. It was nice to be someplace where everyone pitches in and helps out. 

A sudden wave of dizziness overcame me and I leaned myself against the table. Reiner stood up right away and placed a hand on my back. 

“Hey, you alright?”

“I, uh...I need to lay down. Mind if I head to the room for a bit?”

“Not at all. Take your time.”

I gave him a faint smile before making my way down the hall and to his room. I shut the door slightly before walking over to the bed. Before I laid down, I took my phone out of my pocket and placed it on the side table. As soon as my body sunk into the mattress, I was instantly relieved of the dizziness. Maybe I just ate too fast?

Just as I got comfortable, my phone dinged. I waited a few minutes before reluctantly reaching for it. There’s no doubt it was someone who had seen the news broadcast. I started to wonder who it could have been. Mom? Sasha? Eren? Heck, even Levi? A sigh escaped me as I reached over to grab my phone. As I turned it on, the screen brightness blinded me, but only for a moment. It didn’t take long until I realized who sent a message. 

_Hey, are you okay? I’m here if you want to talk. He did it to me, too._

It was Charlotte.


End file.
